Saturday, June 02, 2007
Abducted Brits - the word on the street in Baghdad
Security
(Unconfirmed) In Iraq, rumors travel through the streets quickly and are accepted by many, educated and uneducated alike, to be the absolute truth. In fact, during Saddam’s reign, he had a department in his intelligence service dedicated to spreading various rumors throughout Iraqi society. The word on the street should not be ignored as simple hearsay, even though much of it is obviously false. It helps shape Iraqi opinions and perceptions. The following information on the abducted Britons was collected.
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1. The five Brits who were kidnapped this week were separated after the initial kidnapping and were moved to Kut within three hours of the kidnapping.
2. On Thursday, there were several new checkpoints setup in eastern Baghdad which were established to find the five kidnapped Brits.
3. The Palestine Street area is under the control of Badr due to its proximity to the MOI. Based on the involvement of MOI Commandos and the fact that the five Brits were taken from a Finance Ministry facility, most Iraqis are sure that the five Brits were kidnapped by the order of Bayan Jabr Solagh who wants to trade the five Brits for the five Iranians detained by the US in Irbil. Solagh wants to replace Al Hakim as Iran’s influence broker in Iraq.
Who Kidnapped The Five British Citizens?
The entire group, Sunni and Shiite, agreed that most likely this act was carried out by MOI elements by the order of Bayan Jabr Solagh, who may or may not have been responding to instructions from Iran. The group believes that the reason for the kidnapping is to trade the five Brits for the five Iranians who are being detained by the US after they were captured in Irbil.
The group stated that they believe the above because the area where this crime occurred is known to be heavily controlled by Badr Corps and the kidnapping occurred at a facility under Solagh’s control. He is also believed to have created the MOI Commandos to be an arm of Badr during his tenure as the Interior Minister.
The entire group also agreed that Mahdi Army could NOT have carried out this kidnapping because of the area where it occurred.
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1. The five Brits who were kidnapped this week were separated after the initial kidnapping and were moved to Kut within three hours of the kidnapping.
2. On Thursday, there were several new checkpoints setup in eastern Baghdad which were established to find the five kidnapped Brits.
3. The Palestine Street area is under the control of Badr due to its proximity to the MOI. Based on the involvement of MOI Commandos and the fact that the five Brits were taken from a Finance Ministry facility, most Iraqis are sure that the five Brits were kidnapped by the order of Bayan Jabr Solagh who wants to trade the five Brits for the five Iranians detained by the US in Irbil. Solagh wants to replace Al Hakim as Iran’s influence broker in Iraq.
Who Kidnapped The Five British Citizens?
The entire group, Sunni and Shiite, agreed that most likely this act was carried out by MOI elements by the order of Bayan Jabr Solagh, who may or may not have been responding to instructions from Iran. The group believes that the reason for the kidnapping is to trade the five Brits for the five Iranians who are being detained by the US after they were captured in Irbil.
The group stated that they believe the above because the area where this crime occurred is known to be heavily controlled by Badr Corps and the kidnapping occurred at a facility under Solagh’s control. He is also believed to have created the MOI Commandos to be an arm of Badr during his tenure as the Interior Minister.
The entire group also agreed that Mahdi Army could NOT have carried out this kidnapping because of the area where it occurred.
Labels: Badr Corps, Bayan Jabr Solagh, Iranian detainees, kidnapped Brits, Mahdi Army, Ministry of Interior
Despite Baghdad security operation, violence soars
Security
(Azzaman) - Four months after the start of the U.S. military campaign to bring security to Baghdad, acts of violence, forced displacement and sectarian killings have worsened. Violence has even spread to quarters which were relatively quiet before the start of the operations which brought tens of thousands of more U.S. and Iraqi troops to the streets of the capital.
Worst hit is the Karkh side of Baghdad where pitched battles occasionally take place amid densely populated quarters. U.S. and Iraqi troops have failed to put an end to kidnapping and the dumping of unidentified bodies on the streets of Baghdad. Baghdad is divided into two quarters – Karkh and Rasafah – bisected by the Tigris River.
Assad Ali from Karkh says residents sometimes have to stay indoors for several days fearing to leave their homes due to escalating violence. “Violent acts are setting our areas on fire. It is illogical for the government to leave us to our fate,” he said. Ali said he thought the authorities were more concerned about the Rasafah side of Baghdad which he said was relatively quieter.
The ongoing violence has brought business to a halt in many areas. Workers and civil servants cannot join work, aggravating living conditions for the majority of the population. According to Muhsen Hamed property prices have dropped by almost 50 percent particularly in Karkh. “There is a continuous movement of families in the city for the most violent areas to the less violent,” he said.
Hamed said certain quarters of Baghdad with their own vigilante groups are seeing a rise in property and rent as more and more families flock there. Estate agents in Karkh say they have lost their business due to ongoing violence. “For more than a year I have not sold a single house,” said Abdullatif Raheem, an estate agent.
Raheem said even in smart areas with heavy military presence, prices property prices have dropped substantially. He said monthly rents in the smart district of Mansour have plummeted to about 250,000 (USD$200) dinars from one million.
Worst hit is the Karkh side of Baghdad where pitched battles occasionally take place amid densely populated quarters. U.S. and Iraqi troops have failed to put an end to kidnapping and the dumping of unidentified bodies on the streets of Baghdad. Baghdad is divided into two quarters – Karkh and Rasafah – bisected by the Tigris River.
Assad Ali from Karkh says residents sometimes have to stay indoors for several days fearing to leave their homes due to escalating violence. “Violent acts are setting our areas on fire. It is illogical for the government to leave us to our fate,” he said. Ali said he thought the authorities were more concerned about the Rasafah side of Baghdad which he said was relatively quieter.
The ongoing violence has brought business to a halt in many areas. Workers and civil servants cannot join work, aggravating living conditions for the majority of the population. According to Muhsen Hamed property prices have dropped by almost 50 percent particularly in Karkh. “There is a continuous movement of families in the city for the most violent areas to the less violent,” he said.
Hamed said certain quarters of Baghdad with their own vigilante groups are seeing a rise in property and rent as more and more families flock there. Estate agents in Karkh say they have lost their business due to ongoing violence. “For more than a year I have not sold a single house,” said Abdullatif Raheem, an estate agent.
Raheem said even in smart areas with heavy military presence, prices property prices have dropped substantially. He said monthly rents in the smart district of Mansour have plummeted to about 250,000 (USD$200) dinars from one million.
Labels: Baghdad, Karkh, Operation Fardh al-Qanoon, violence
PKK leader says his forces will resist Turkish military incursion
Security, Region
(AP) - The top commander of a Kurdish rebel group said his forces would resist any Turkish military incursion aimed at destroying rebel bases in northern Iraq, a news agency reported Saturday. Turkey has been building up its military forces on the Iraqi border in recent weeks, amid debate among political and military leaders about whether to attack rebels of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, who stage raids in southeast Turkey after crossing over from hideouts in Iraq.
Military experts say it is unlikely that a Turkish incursion would lead to a decisive victory over the PKK rebels. "No one should expect us to extend our necks as sheep to be slaughtered in the face of an attack aimed at destroying us," Firat news agency quoted the rebel commander, Murat Karayilan, as saying.
Despite the bold rhetoric, the experienced guerrillas would probably not stand and fight, according to analysts. Instead, they might seek safety in cave complexes or run deeper inside northern Iraq, back to their main bases on Qandil mountain, leaving Turkey with what could turn into an open-ended and costly deployment inside Iraq.
During past major incursions in 1990s, fighting occurred on a front stretching more than 100 miles, mostly in rugged terrain where communications were difficult and the Turkish Kurds were already entrenched in the mountains. If Turkey enters Iraq again, the military might set up a buffer zone as deep as 12 miles to try to stop rebel infiltration, a Turkish government official said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.
Both the United States and the Iraqi government oppose a Turkish cross-border offensive. Officials in Baghdad have promised Turkey that they would prevent the PKK from launching attacks from the Iraqi territory but Turkey is growing increasingly impatient with their inability to reign in the rebels.
Turkish intelligence reports say Iraqi Kurds were building defenses, and imams of mosques in northern Iraq were calling on Iraqi Kurds to resist any Turkish incursion and defend their sovereignty.
Such a confrontation between two U.S. allies could raise tensions between Turkey and the United States, which is struggling to stabilize the country and defeat an insurgency. U.S. commanders have not pursued the Kurdish rebels in remote mountain areas of northern Iraq, one of the few stable areas of the country.
Military experts say it is unlikely that a Turkish incursion would lead to a decisive victory over the PKK rebels. "No one should expect us to extend our necks as sheep to be slaughtered in the face of an attack aimed at destroying us," Firat news agency quoted the rebel commander, Murat Karayilan, as saying.
Despite the bold rhetoric, the experienced guerrillas would probably not stand and fight, according to analysts. Instead, they might seek safety in cave complexes or run deeper inside northern Iraq, back to their main bases on Qandil mountain, leaving Turkey with what could turn into an open-ended and costly deployment inside Iraq.
During past major incursions in 1990s, fighting occurred on a front stretching more than 100 miles, mostly in rugged terrain where communications were difficult and the Turkish Kurds were already entrenched in the mountains. If Turkey enters Iraq again, the military might set up a buffer zone as deep as 12 miles to try to stop rebel infiltration, a Turkish government official said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.
Both the United States and the Iraqi government oppose a Turkish cross-border offensive. Officials in Baghdad have promised Turkey that they would prevent the PKK from launching attacks from the Iraqi territory but Turkey is growing increasingly impatient with their inability to reign in the rebels.
Turkish intelligence reports say Iraqi Kurds were building defenses, and imams of mosques in northern Iraq were calling on Iraqi Kurds to resist any Turkish incursion and defend their sovereignty.
Such a confrontation between two U.S. allies could raise tensions between Turkey and the United States, which is struggling to stabilize the country and defeat an insurgency. U.S. commanders have not pursued the Kurdish rebels in remote mountain areas of northern Iraq, one of the few stable areas of the country.
Labels: Murat Karayilan, PKK, Turkey
Interior Ministry records 2,000 civilian deaths during May
Security
(RFE/RL) - Al-Sharqiyah television reported on June 1 that the Interior Ministry has recorded 1,951 civilians killed in Iraq during the month of May. The news channel said the figures were "announced" by the Health, Interior, and Defense ministries. Citing sources from the three ministries, the news channel reported that the figure includes 746 unidentified bodies found in Baghdad, including 29 bodies found on May 31. It also cited the Interior Ministry as reporting 2,023 civilians wounded, 127 police officers and 47 soldiers killed, 297 insurgents killed, and 2,356 suspected insurgents arrested in May. According to Al-Sharqiyah, 1,689 civilians were killed in April. AP reported on May 1 that it calculated 2,077 Iraqis killed between May 1 and May 30, including 237 Iraqi security forces.
Labels: civilian deaths, Ministry of Interior
Sheiks say tribes best force to take on insurgents in Diyala
Tribal, Security
(RFE/RL) - Iraqi tribal leaders have told London-based "Al-Hayat" that they expect the U.S. and Iraqi militaries to launch a major operation aimed at driving the Al-Qaeda-affiliated Islamic State of Iraq from Diyala Governorate, the newspaper reported on May 31. "Major preparations are under way in the provincial joint-operations room that is manned by senior Iraqi army and police commanders in cooperation with multinational forces to launch a major battle against the armed groups," said Sheikh Dari Thu'ban al-Khuyun.
The tribal leader said the majority of the fighters hail from the governorate, adding: "We have accurate information on the locations of these groups." Sheikh Ali al-Burhan, leader of the Al-Izzah tribes, told "Al-Hayat" that the "military capabilities of the armed groups are bigger than those of the tribes and the army" in the governorate, and reinforcements have not yet arrived. "It would be better to arm the largest number of tribes, which can cleanse all the regions of Diyala where more than 80 percent of the armed men and the insurgents in Iraq are found," Al-Burhan contended. He stressed that any large-scale military operation could destroy "the good things" in Diyala while trying to drive out insurgents.
Labels: Al-Izzah tribes, Diyala, Islamic State of Iraq, Sheikh Ali al-Burhan, Sheikh Dari Thu'ban al-Khuyun, tribal leaders
Major bridge in northern Iraq destroyed
Security
(Reuters) - Insurgents destroyed a major bridge that connects the Iraqi capital Baghdad with the northern cities of Kirkuk and Arbil early on Saturday, police said. They said the insurgents used explosives to destroy the Sarha Bridge, near the town of Tuz Khurmato on the Chinchal river, some 150 km (100 miles) north of Baghdad. The blast severely damaged the bridge, forcing motorists into detours and traffic jams.
Several bridges have been targeted in Iraq, most notably the popular Sarafiya bridge which was destroyed in April in a truck bombing that sent large sections of the steel structure crashing into the Tigris in central Baghdad.
Many Iraqis believe insurgents target bridges to physically separate Shi'ite and Sunni Muslim areas in central Iraq, but some say the attacks are meant to frustrate people who have to endure time consuming detours into dangerous areas. The Iraqi government recently imposed restrictions that ban trucks from traveling on all but two of the capital's 13 bridges in fear of another major attack.
Several bridges have been targeted in Iraq, most notably the popular Sarafiya bridge which was destroyed in April in a truck bombing that sent large sections of the steel structure crashing into the Tigris in central Baghdad.
Many Iraqis believe insurgents target bridges to physically separate Shi'ite and Sunni Muslim areas in central Iraq, but some say the attacks are meant to frustrate people who have to endure time consuming detours into dangerous areas. The Iraqi government recently imposed restrictions that ban trucks from traveling on all but two of the capital's 13 bridges in fear of another major attack.
Labels: Chinchal river, insurgents, Sarha Bridge, Tuz Kharmatu
Friday, June 01, 2007
U.S. military seeking talks with al-Sadr
Security, Politics
(McClatchy Newspapers) - The U.S. military is seeking talks with Shiite Muslim cleric Muqtada al-Sadr directly and through the government of Iraq, according to a top American general. A Sadr aide confirmed that U.S. officials had approached the anti-American cleric's supporters but said that Sadr would never begin a dialogue with what they describe as "occupation forces."
"He has a grass-roots movement that he's always going to have; we have to recognize that," Lt. Gen. Raymond Odierno, the second-ranking American commander in Iraq, told McClatchy Newspapers in an interview this week. "We're trying to talk to him. We want to talk to him." At the same time, however, U.S. and British forces have stepped up operations against the Mahdi Army in the sprawling Shiite slum of Sadr City in Baghdad and the southern port city of Basra.
Odierno told McClatchy that he wasn't sure whether Sadr's resurfacing in the Shiite holy city of Kufa last week was a good or bad thing for American forces in Iraq. While the cleric was away, his organization became more fractionalized, and part of the reason for his return, Odierno said, was "the consolidation of his powers." This could mean cleaning up rogue elements of the Mahdi Army, he said. "I'm mixed; I'm not sure yet," Odierno said referring to the effect of Sadr's return on security. "I'll take a wait-and-see attitude."
Sadr largely inherited his constituency from the millions of impoverished Shiites in Iraq who are loyal to his father, the popular Mohammed Sadiq al-Sadr, whom Saddam Hussein's regime assassinated. While Muqtada al-Sadr's religious standing is shaky, his family name draws deep loyalty. Shiites credit his militia with protecting them from Sunni insurgents who target Shiite neighborhoods. But the Mahdi Army also is blamed for kidnapping and killing Sunni men.
Salah al-Obaidi, a senior Sadr aide, acknowledged that the U.S. has approached the cleric's supporters multiple times about talks with Sadr. He said the requests had been rebuffed. "This will be a betrayal for the country," Obaidi said. "Any cooperation with the occupier is forbidden."
If the Iranian-backed Sadr, who's cast himself as a national resistance figure, began talking with the U.S. he'd risk losing support in the Iraqi street. During his absence he issued statements with fiery anti-American rhetoric while calling on followers not to attack. He called for a demonstration in Najaf in April against the American presence in Iraq, and legislators from his movement are circulating a bill in parliament to set a timetable for a U.S. withdrawal.
Sadr's supporters have "no problem" if members of the U.S. Congress were to meet with Sadrists in parliament, Obaidi said. "We respect the American people. We have no problem with them. We know not all of them accept the occupation."
The U.S. military has begun to draw distinctions between Sadr and what it calls "rogue" Mahdi Army members. It most often links the men whom it detains and kills to Iran through their weapon of choice: explosively formed projectiles, which are armor-piercing bombs that the American military claims come from Iran. Separating Sadr from the Mahdi Army commanders whom the American military is targeting could set the stage for U.S.-Sadr talks.
"He has a grass-roots movement that he's always going to have; we have to recognize that," Lt. Gen. Raymond Odierno, the second-ranking American commander in Iraq, told McClatchy Newspapers in an interview this week. "We're trying to talk to him. We want to talk to him." At the same time, however, U.S. and British forces have stepped up operations against the Mahdi Army in the sprawling Shiite slum of Sadr City in Baghdad and the southern port city of Basra.
Odierno told McClatchy that he wasn't sure whether Sadr's resurfacing in the Shiite holy city of Kufa last week was a good or bad thing for American forces in Iraq. While the cleric was away, his organization became more fractionalized, and part of the reason for his return, Odierno said, was "the consolidation of his powers." This could mean cleaning up rogue elements of the Mahdi Army, he said. "I'm mixed; I'm not sure yet," Odierno said referring to the effect of Sadr's return on security. "I'll take a wait-and-see attitude."
Sadr largely inherited his constituency from the millions of impoverished Shiites in Iraq who are loyal to his father, the popular Mohammed Sadiq al-Sadr, whom Saddam Hussein's regime assassinated. While Muqtada al-Sadr's religious standing is shaky, his family name draws deep loyalty. Shiites credit his militia with protecting them from Sunni insurgents who target Shiite neighborhoods. But the Mahdi Army also is blamed for kidnapping and killing Sunni men.
Salah al-Obaidi, a senior Sadr aide, acknowledged that the U.S. has approached the cleric's supporters multiple times about talks with Sadr. He said the requests had been rebuffed. "This will be a betrayal for the country," Obaidi said. "Any cooperation with the occupier is forbidden."
If the Iranian-backed Sadr, who's cast himself as a national resistance figure, began talking with the U.S. he'd risk losing support in the Iraqi street. During his absence he issued statements with fiery anti-American rhetoric while calling on followers not to attack. He called for a demonstration in Najaf in April against the American presence in Iraq, and legislators from his movement are circulating a bill in parliament to set a timetable for a U.S. withdrawal.
Sadr's supporters have "no problem" if members of the U.S. Congress were to meet with Sadrists in parliament, Obaidi said. "We respect the American people. We have no problem with them. We know not all of them accept the occupation."
The U.S. military has begun to draw distinctions between Sadr and what it calls "rogue" Mahdi Army members. It most often links the men whom it detains and kills to Iran through their weapon of choice: explosively formed projectiles, which are armor-piercing bombs that the American military claims come from Iran. Separating Sadr from the Mahdi Army commanders whom the American military is targeting could set the stage for U.S.-Sadr talks.
Labels: Basra, EFPs, Lt. Gen. Ray Odierno, Moqtada Al-Sadr, Sadr City, U.S. military
U.K. may approach Iran for help to find British hostages
Security
(The Guardian) - Britain is considering a direct approach to Iran for help in discovering the whereabouts of four British security guards and a financial consultant abducted in Iraq and who was responsible for seizing them. The issue was raised yesterday at a meeting of Cobra, Whitehall's emergency committee, the Guardian has learned.
Senior Iraqi officials said they were working on the theory that the gang behind the kidnapping was a rogue faction of the Mahdi army of the radical Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, possibly operating under the influence of Iranian intelligence. "We do not think that Sadr ordered this operation, but we are almost certain that some militia members who profess loyalty to him were involved," said a senior foreign ministry official.
He said that "the lack of organisation and discipline" within the Mahdi army's ranks had allowed the Iranians to move in and bring some of Sadr's fighters under their control. "They [the Iranians] want to show the US that they have influence over the Mahdi army, and that the US must come to them for help," he said.
Well-placed British officials pointed out yesterday that the Mahdi army was now made of different groups, not all of which are under Mr Sadr's control. Secret rogue cells in the militia are known to have links with Iran's revolutionary guards, though well-placed British officials also said these could operate without Iranian help.
The SAS, which is represented on the Cobra committee, is ready to intervene immediately if intelligence emerges on the whereabouts of the five Britons. An SAS team is on standby in Baghdad, prepared for such a crisis, and an MI5 intelligence officer has flown to the capital.
In Baghdad yesterday, US Humvees and Bradley fighting vehicles, backed up by helicopters, took up positions around the Shia stronghold of Sadr City as US soldiers and Iraqi commandos pushed deeper into the district on the second day of operations aimed at finding the hostages.
The US military said they had arrested two members of a "secret cell terrorist network", but it was unclear whether they were connected to the abduction. Another raid targeted the home of a Shia cleric, Abdul-Zahra al-Suwaidi, who runs Mr Sadr's headquarters in Sadr City. The four security guards working for a Canadian-based firm, GardaWorld, and an expert from a US management consultancy firm, BearingPoint, were abducted from the finance ministry building in the capital by up to 40 men, some dressed in police uniforms, on Tuesday and driven towards Sadr City.
A spokesman for Mr Sadr denied that the kidnapping was officially sanctioned. "We are an obvious target. To do such a provocative act as this kidnapping would be counterproductive," said Salah al-Obeidi. "We are committed to the political path and it is working well for us."
Mr Sadr, who presents himself as an Iraqi nationalist, made his first public appearance in the country for four months last week, calling for American troops to leave and criticising the meeting between the Iranian and US ambassadors as an interference in Iraq's affairs.
His move was seen in part as an attempt to rally his movement, amid reports of splits. "In many ways the US has a common interest with Muqtada," said Patrick Clawson, deputy director of research at the conservative Washington Institute for Near-East Policy. He said Iran was working with a series of Mahdi army commanders and in many cases they were people Muqtada had kicked out of his movement. "The Iranians have never felt comfortable with a powerful Iraqi figure like Muqtada, who they don't completely control."
Mr Obeidi dismissed speculation that the abduction was connected to the killing of a senior Mahdi army official in Basra last week. "This was a well organised operation that would have taken some time to prepare," he said. British officials agreed. However, an Iraqi security official said the authorities were also considering the possibility that the abduction might be linked to the seizure of five Iranian officials by US forces in a raid in Irbil. Tehran has been pressing for the men's release.
Senior Iraqi officials said they were working on the theory that the gang behind the kidnapping was a rogue faction of the Mahdi army of the radical Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, possibly operating under the influence of Iranian intelligence. "We do not think that Sadr ordered this operation, but we are almost certain that some militia members who profess loyalty to him were involved," said a senior foreign ministry official.
He said that "the lack of organisation and discipline" within the Mahdi army's ranks had allowed the Iranians to move in and bring some of Sadr's fighters under their control. "They [the Iranians] want to show the US that they have influence over the Mahdi army, and that the US must come to them for help," he said.
Well-placed British officials pointed out yesterday that the Mahdi army was now made of different groups, not all of which are under Mr Sadr's control. Secret rogue cells in the militia are known to have links with Iran's revolutionary guards, though well-placed British officials also said these could operate without Iranian help.
The SAS, which is represented on the Cobra committee, is ready to intervene immediately if intelligence emerges on the whereabouts of the five Britons. An SAS team is on standby in Baghdad, prepared for such a crisis, and an MI5 intelligence officer has flown to the capital.
In Baghdad yesterday, US Humvees and Bradley fighting vehicles, backed up by helicopters, took up positions around the Shia stronghold of Sadr City as US soldiers and Iraqi commandos pushed deeper into the district on the second day of operations aimed at finding the hostages.
The US military said they had arrested two members of a "secret cell terrorist network", but it was unclear whether they were connected to the abduction. Another raid targeted the home of a Shia cleric, Abdul-Zahra al-Suwaidi, who runs Mr Sadr's headquarters in Sadr City. The four security guards working for a Canadian-based firm, GardaWorld, and an expert from a US management consultancy firm, BearingPoint, were abducted from the finance ministry building in the capital by up to 40 men, some dressed in police uniforms, on Tuesday and driven towards Sadr City.
A spokesman for Mr Sadr denied that the kidnapping was officially sanctioned. "We are an obvious target. To do such a provocative act as this kidnapping would be counterproductive," said Salah al-Obeidi. "We are committed to the political path and it is working well for us."
Mr Sadr, who presents himself as an Iraqi nationalist, made his first public appearance in the country for four months last week, calling for American troops to leave and criticising the meeting between the Iranian and US ambassadors as an interference in Iraq's affairs.
His move was seen in part as an attempt to rally his movement, amid reports of splits. "In many ways the US has a common interest with Muqtada," said Patrick Clawson, deputy director of research at the conservative Washington Institute for Near-East Policy. He said Iran was working with a series of Mahdi army commanders and in many cases they were people Muqtada had kicked out of his movement. "The Iranians have never felt comfortable with a powerful Iraqi figure like Muqtada, who they don't completely control."
Mr Obeidi dismissed speculation that the abduction was connected to the killing of a senior Mahdi army official in Basra last week. "This was a well organised operation that would have taken some time to prepare," he said. British officials agreed. However, an Iraqi security official said the authorities were also considering the possibility that the abduction might be linked to the seizure of five Iranian officials by US forces in a raid in Irbil. Tehran has been pressing for the men's release.
Labels: Abdul-Zahra al-Suwaidi, Basra, British hostages, Cobra, Iran, Iranian detainees, Mahdi Army, Moqtada Al-Sadr, SAS, Sheikh Salah al-Obeidi
Maliki in Kurdistan for talks on constitution, Kirkuk
Politics
(Voices of Iraq) - Iraq's Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki arrived on Thursday afternoon in Arbil on several days visit to the Kurdistan region, a source from the Kurdistan government said. "Maliki came for consultation with Kurdish officials on many issues, including the Iraqi constitution’s revision, the political situation and relations between the central government and the Kurdistan region’s administration," Dr. Fuad Hussein, head of the Kurdistan presidency office, told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI).
Prime Minister al-Maliki, who was received at Arbil airport by Iraqi Kurdistan’s President Massoud al-Barazani, is expected to discuss the Kirkuk issue with Kurdish leadership, Hussein added. On Tuesday, Kurdistan Premier Negervan Barazani ended several days' visit to Baghdad to discuss with the central government issues to do with oil-rich Kirkuk city’s status according to Article 140 of the constitution, relations between Baghdad's government and the Kurdistan administration, the status of the Peshmerga (Kurdish local fighters) and the draft oil and gas law.
Kurds want to accelerate the implementation of constitutional article 140, concerning normalizing the situation in Kirkuk city, as it was before the 1970s, when the former regime, Kurds claim, lured Arabs to settle in Kirkuk and drove Kurdish families out of the city.
The step should be followed by a referendum in the city to decide whether or not to join the three other Kurdish provinces in the Kurdistan region by the end of 2007. Non-Kurdish Iraqi political forces are inclined to put off the issue until better security prevails in the country.
Also, the draft oil and gas law, now under debate by lawmakers in Baghdad, represents another deadlock between Arbil and Baghdad. Kurdish leaders are pressing for more power in relation to oil investment inside the region, while Baghdad has opted to control all investment contracts in the country.
Prime Minister al-Maliki, who was received at Arbil airport by Iraqi Kurdistan’s President Massoud al-Barazani, is expected to discuss the Kirkuk issue with Kurdish leadership, Hussein added. On Tuesday, Kurdistan Premier Negervan Barazani ended several days' visit to Baghdad to discuss with the central government issues to do with oil-rich Kirkuk city’s status according to Article 140 of the constitution, relations between Baghdad's government and the Kurdistan administration, the status of the Peshmerga (Kurdish local fighters) and the draft oil and gas law.
Kurds want to accelerate the implementation of constitutional article 140, concerning normalizing the situation in Kirkuk city, as it was before the 1970s, when the former regime, Kurds claim, lured Arabs to settle in Kirkuk and drove Kurdish families out of the city.
The step should be followed by a referendum in the city to decide whether or not to join the three other Kurdish provinces in the Kurdistan region by the end of 2007. Non-Kurdish Iraqi political forces are inclined to put off the issue until better security prevails in the country.
Also, the draft oil and gas law, now under debate by lawmakers in Baghdad, represents another deadlock between Arbil and Baghdad. Kurdish leaders are pressing for more power in relation to oil investment inside the region, while Baghdad has opted to control all investment contracts in the country.
Labels: Arbil, Article 140, Iraqi constitution, Kirkuk, Massoud Barzani, Nouri Al-Maliki
Reporters Without Borders calls for investigation unit into journalist deaths
Media
(Reuters) -- Media advocate Reporters Without Borders has called for the establishment of a special police unit to investigate media killings in Iraq after a record 12 journalists were slain in May. The Paris-based group expressed deep shock after the deaths of four journalists in five days and said police should also set up a witness protection program to help in investigations of media killings.
"The Iraqi government must fulfil their duty to protect journalists," RSF said in a statement on its Web site. (RSF stands for the group's name in French, Reporters sans Frontières.) RSF's statement and its count of 11 journalists killed in May, all but one Iraqi, did not include the death of Saif Fakhry, an Iraqi cameraman who was killed on Thursday.
Fakhry was shot twice while walking to a mosque near his home in Baghdad. He had worked for AP Television News (APTN) since August 2004 and is survived by his wife, who is due to give birth to their first child next month, APTN said.
Journalists are increasingly finding themselves caught in the crossfire in Iraq's sectarian conflict and the Sunni Arab insurgency against U.S forces and the Iraqi government. Since the fall of Saddam Hussein, who controlled all media, Iraqis have seen the proliferation of newspapers and television. Many are controlled by political or religious factions, and Iraqi journalists, dozens of whose colleagues have been killed or kidnapped, complain some officials put them under heavy pressure.
RSF says 177 journalists and media assistants, most of them Iraqis, have been killed in Iraq since the start of the U.S.-led invasion to topple Hussein in March 2003, making Iraq one of the most dangerous conflicts for journalists since World War II. The group said more should be done to investigate the deaths and to organize awareness campaigns among the Iraqi security forces and the public for the protection of journalists.
"We call for the creation of a special force within the national police to identify the perpetrators and instigators of killings of journalists," the RSF statement said. "To help the investigators, a witness protection program should also be set up with the help of countries in the region."
"The Iraqi government must fulfil their duty to protect journalists," RSF said in a statement on its Web site. (RSF stands for the group's name in French, Reporters sans Frontières.) RSF's statement and its count of 11 journalists killed in May, all but one Iraqi, did not include the death of Saif Fakhry, an Iraqi cameraman who was killed on Thursday.
Fakhry was shot twice while walking to a mosque near his home in Baghdad. He had worked for AP Television News (APTN) since August 2004 and is survived by his wife, who is due to give birth to their first child next month, APTN said.
Journalists are increasingly finding themselves caught in the crossfire in Iraq's sectarian conflict and the Sunni Arab insurgency against U.S forces and the Iraqi government. Since the fall of Saddam Hussein, who controlled all media, Iraqis have seen the proliferation of newspapers and television. Many are controlled by political or religious factions, and Iraqi journalists, dozens of whose colleagues have been killed or kidnapped, complain some officials put them under heavy pressure.
RSF says 177 journalists and media assistants, most of them Iraqis, have been killed in Iraq since the start of the U.S.-led invasion to topple Hussein in March 2003, making Iraq one of the most dangerous conflicts for journalists since World War II. The group said more should be done to investigate the deaths and to organize awareness campaigns among the Iraqi security forces and the public for the protection of journalists.
"We call for the creation of a special force within the national police to identify the perpetrators and instigators of killings of journalists," the RSF statement said. "To help the investigators, a witness protection program should also be set up with the help of countries in the region."
Labels: investigation, journalists, Reporters Without Borders, Saif Fakhry
Al-Sadr's office denies letter forcing women to wear the veil
(AKI) -- The office of the Martyr al-Sadr, in the holy Shiite city of Najaf has denied news reports that the leader of the sect Moqtada al-Sadr had ordered all Christian and non Muslim women to wear a veil or face punishment. A letter has been circulating in Baghdad, signed by "The People's Foundation for the Master al-Mahdi Army", Sadr's powerful militia, warning Christian women to wear the veil and pointing out that the Virgin Mary worshipped by Christians did not have her head bare. In a statement to Adnkronos International (AKI) Sheikh Abu Zahra of the Sadrist movement declared that "this news is totally unfounded".
Sheikh Abu Zahra told AKI that "such baseless reports by the media are the work of certain groups which seek to sully the image of the Sadrist movement." This was, he said, because the faction "is at the head of the opposition to the American occuaption of Iraq".
"The Sadrist faction, in line with its religious role, urges Muslim women to wear the veil as prescribed by sharia (Islamic Law) but does not force them to do so, just encourages them. As for non Muslims, it is a personal question, but they must not approach holy Shiite sites. Abu Zahra went on to underline that "there have never been any incidents involving a Sadr member towards a non Muslim in the areas of Iraq where the group is present."
Sheikh Abu Zahra told AKI that "such baseless reports by the media are the work of certain groups which seek to sully the image of the Sadrist movement." This was, he said, because the faction "is at the head of the opposition to the American occuaption of Iraq".
"The Sadrist faction, in line with its religious role, urges Muslim women to wear the veil as prescribed by sharia (Islamic Law) but does not force them to do so, just encourages them. As for non Muslims, it is a personal question, but they must not approach holy Shiite sites. Abu Zahra went on to underline that "there have never been any incidents involving a Sadr member towards a non Muslim in the areas of Iraq where the group is present."
Labels: Moqtada Al-Sadr, Sheikh Abu Zahra, veils
U.S. Commander believes 80 per cent of enemy combatants are reconcilable
Security, Politics
(AP) -- The U.S. military is working more aggressively to forge cease-fires with Iraqi militants and quell the violence around Baghdad, judging that 80 percent of enemy combatants are "reconcilable," a top U.S. commander said Thursday. However, Lt. Gen. Raymond Odierno also warned that he may not be able to make a full assessment of the situation in Iraq by September, as demanded by lawmakers.
Odierno, the No. 2 U.S. commander in Iraq, told Pentagon reporters by video conference that he is pressing his military officers to reach out to the tribes, to some small insurgent groups and to religious and political leaders to push them to stop the violence.
"We are talking about cease-fires, and maybe signing some things that say they won't conduct operations against the government of Iraq or against coalition forces," Odierno said from Camp Victory in Baghdad. "We believe a large majority of groups within Iraq are reconcilable and are now interested in engaging with us. But more importantly, they want to engage and become a part of the government of Iraq."
Stemming the violence in and around the capital city is key to giving the Iraqi government time to stabilize and move toward reconciliation with the warring sectarian factions. That would then allow the U.S. to begin withdrawing troops.
Odierno said he believes that about 80 percent of the enemy fighters, including key Sunni insurgent groups and Shiite militia, could be brought into the political process. The remainder, he said, are largely al-Qaida operatives who will have to captured or killed.
He cautioned that the process will be slow. And he repeatedly warned that he may need more time to determine if the military buildup ordered by President Bush earlier this year has begun to work.
Odierno, the No. 2 U.S. commander in Iraq, told Pentagon reporters by video conference that he is pressing his military officers to reach out to the tribes, to some small insurgent groups and to religious and political leaders to push them to stop the violence.
"We are talking about cease-fires, and maybe signing some things that say they won't conduct operations against the government of Iraq or against coalition forces," Odierno said from Camp Victory in Baghdad. "We believe a large majority of groups within Iraq are reconcilable and are now interested in engaging with us. But more importantly, they want to engage and become a part of the government of Iraq."
Stemming the violence in and around the capital city is key to giving the Iraqi government time to stabilize and move toward reconciliation with the warring sectarian factions. That would then allow the U.S. to begin withdrawing troops.
Odierno said he believes that about 80 percent of the enemy fighters, including key Sunni insurgent groups and Shiite militia, could be brought into the political process. The remainder, he said, are largely al-Qaida operatives who will have to captured or killed.
He cautioned that the process will be slow. And he repeatedly warned that he may need more time to determine if the military buildup ordered by President Bush earlier this year has begun to work.
Labels: cease-fire, Iraqi militants, Lt. Gen. Ray Odierno, politics, security
Anti-Qaeda alliance gathers momentum
Insurgency
(AKI) -- A fierce battle between local Sunni residents and al-Qaeda insurgents in an outlying Baghdad neighbourhood this week is evidence that moves to isolate the terror group by other Sunnis are taking hold even in the capital. According to a detailed report on the Washington Post on Friday a battle this week in the western Amiriyah area has claimed at least 28 lives. It quoted the local mayor Mohammed Abdul Khaliq as saying that residents, alienated by the indiscriminate violence of its fellow Sunnis, rose up to force al-Qaeda out.
The microcosm mirrors what is happening in the western provinces, especially al-Anbar and Diyala, where Sunni tribes have united in an anti-Qaeda alliance. "I think this is going to be the end of the al-Qaeda presence here," mayor Abdul Khaliq told the Washington Post in a phone interview. He said that the fierce fighting Wednesday and Thursday began over accusations that al-Qaeda in Iraq had executed Sunnis without reason.
It appears to be the first time that a dynamic of isolation, which has been at work in the mainly Sunni and restive western province of al-Anbar, has spread to the capital.
Sunni tribal leaders recently formed an umbrella group, the Anbar Salvation Council, to join with U.S. and Iraqi troops in a common fight against al-Qaeda in Iraq, which used to dominate the province. They resent what they see as indiscriminate violence against civilians, including women and children, and also the presence of foreign fighters in al-Qaeda ranks.
According to the US coalition, 12,000 al-Anbar residents have joined the Iraqi security forces so far this year, compared with 1,000 in all of last year. In an attack clearly meant to intimidate the tribes, a suicide bomber blew himself up Thursday among 150 recruits waiting to enter a police compound in Fallujah. Later that day, six people were killed, including three policemen, in a carbomb blast in Ramadi.
Close to the international airport, Amiriyah has seen a mass exodus of Shiites and ongoing violence, and is considered a virtual no mans land.
Trouble arose on Tuesday, the Washington Post reports, when the Islamic Army, a powerful Sunni insurgent group, posted a statement at a local mosque criticizing al-Qaeda in Iraq for killing dozens of other Sunnis in Fallujah and Baghdad "on suspicion only," and warned them to stop the practice. "Down with al-Qaeda, long live the honest resistance." was graffitied on a wall on Wednesday and when al-Qaeda in Iraq members came to wipe the slogan off, a roadside bomb exploded killing three of them.
Al-Qaeda in Iraq's reprisal came in the form of an attack on a mosque killing the Islamic Army's leader, Razi al-Zobai, and complaining that the Islamic Army had become involved in the political process in Iraq, residents said. The Islamic Army retaliated in kind, striking a mosque and killing one of the group's leaders. As the fighting intensified, al-Qaeda in Iraq called in reinforcements arrived from other areas of the capital residents said. A four hour long battle left at least 15 fighters dead.
The microcosm mirrors what is happening in the western provinces, especially al-Anbar and Diyala, where Sunni tribes have united in an anti-Qaeda alliance. "I think this is going to be the end of the al-Qaeda presence here," mayor Abdul Khaliq told the Washington Post in a phone interview. He said that the fierce fighting Wednesday and Thursday began over accusations that al-Qaeda in Iraq had executed Sunnis without reason.
It appears to be the first time that a dynamic of isolation, which has been at work in the mainly Sunni and restive western province of al-Anbar, has spread to the capital.
Sunni tribal leaders recently formed an umbrella group, the Anbar Salvation Council, to join with U.S. and Iraqi troops in a common fight against al-Qaeda in Iraq, which used to dominate the province. They resent what they see as indiscriminate violence against civilians, including women and children, and also the presence of foreign fighters in al-Qaeda ranks.
According to the US coalition, 12,000 al-Anbar residents have joined the Iraqi security forces so far this year, compared with 1,000 in all of last year. In an attack clearly meant to intimidate the tribes, a suicide bomber blew himself up Thursday among 150 recruits waiting to enter a police compound in Fallujah. Later that day, six people were killed, including three policemen, in a carbomb blast in Ramadi.
Close to the international airport, Amiriyah has seen a mass exodus of Shiites and ongoing violence, and is considered a virtual no mans land.
Trouble arose on Tuesday, the Washington Post reports, when the Islamic Army, a powerful Sunni insurgent group, posted a statement at a local mosque criticizing al-Qaeda in Iraq for killing dozens of other Sunnis in Fallujah and Baghdad "on suspicion only," and warned them to stop the practice. "Down with al-Qaeda, long live the honest resistance." was graffitied on a wall on Wednesday and when al-Qaeda in Iraq members came to wipe the slogan off, a roadside bomb exploded killing three of them.
Al-Qaeda in Iraq's reprisal came in the form of an attack on a mosque killing the Islamic Army's leader, Razi al-Zobai, and complaining that the Islamic Army had become involved in the political process in Iraq, residents said. The Islamic Army retaliated in kind, striking a mosque and killing one of the group's leaders. As the fighting intensified, al-Qaeda in Iraq called in reinforcements arrived from other areas of the capital residents said. A four hour long battle left at least 15 fighters dead.
Labels: abduction, Al Qaeda in Iraq, Al-Anbar, Amariyah, Anbar Salvation Council, Diyala, Fallujah, Islamic Army, Ramadi, Razi al-Zobai, suicide bomber
Maliki meets with Dhi Qar tribal leaders
Politics, Tribal
(RFE/RL) - Nuri al-Maliki met with tribal leaders from the southern Dhi Qar Governorate on May 30, state-run Al-Iraqiyah television reported the same day. Al-Maliki discussed security in Iraq, saying, "Due to the rule of the Ba'ath-controlled government [of Saddam Hussein], the Iraqi people, who should have enjoyed life, welfare, sovereignty, and prosperity, are still suffering severe shortages in services" and insecurity.
Al-Maliki called on tribal leaders to create civilian policing bodies that he suggested be called "support councils" or "care and monitoring councils." Al-Maliki appeared to comment on rumors of a coup by Allawi supporters, telling tribal leaders that some countries are attempting to interfere in Iraqi affairs through their support of political blocs. The tribal leaders, meanwhile, expressed their support for al-Maliki's national-unity government, the news channel reported.
Labels: Dhi Qar, Iyad Allawi, Nouri Al-Maliki, security, tribal leaders
Allawi supporters demonstrate across Iraq
Politics
(RFE/RL) - Thousands of supporters of former Prime Minister Iyad Allawi demonstrated in the cities of Baghdad, Al-Basrah, Mosul, and Karbala on May 29 to protest allegations that Allawi is plotting to overthrow the Iraqi government, the London-based "Al-Sharq al-Awsat" reported on May 30. Critics of Allawi alleged that his foreign and regional tour was aimed at drumming up support for his return to power. The demonstrators reportedly called on Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki to resign.
A statement released by Allawi's office said the government's "conspiracy theory paranoia" has prevented it from effecting change on the ground, the daily reported. Meanwhile, Iraqis List parliamentarian Mahdi al-Hafiz said on May 29 that he will withdraw from the list, led by Allawi, citing a lack of transparency in the list's political work, "Al-Mashriq" reported on May 30. Ayham al-Samarra'i, who served as electricity minister in Allawi's interim government, told Al-Jazeera on May 27 that Allawi has won Arab states' support for his political vision, adding that while Iraq's neighbors "do not want a coup in Iraq, they want to see Iraq succeed."
Labels: Ayham al-Samarra'i, Baghdad, Basrah, Iraqi List, Iyad Allawi, Karbala, Mahdi al-Hafiz, Mosul
Thursday, May 31, 2007
British prisoners in Iraq could be used as bargaining tools
Security
(The Telegraph) - The five Britons captured in Iraq could be used as bargaining tools to secure the release of hundreds of Shia prisoners of war being held in Basra, it was disclosed last night. A senior official in the Mahdi army militia told The Daily Telegraph that the captives - four security guards and a computer expert - had been taken to put pressure on Tony Blair and George Bush.
"We are holding the British until they release our brothers from Camp Bucca in Basra," the cell commander said. "There are hundreds there under British security, some of them for years. When they are released the British will be allowed to go."Hundreds of US and Iraqi troops carried out raids yesterday in Sadr City - the Baghdad Shia suburb which is a Mahdi army stronghold - as more information about the kidnap became clear.
Immediately after the Britons were snatched from a finance ministry building in Baghdad on Tuesday, they were driven to a "hostage holding" centre near Sadr City's Mudafra Square, from where they were expected to be moved frequently to avoid detection.
Whitehall's emergency response unit, Cobra, met again yesterday and Margaret Beckett, the Foreign Secretary, said officials were working closely with the Iraqi authorities and doing everything they could to secure the captives' "swift and safe release". Mr Blair, on a visit to Sierra Leone, said: "We know the dangers and challenges there but we shouldn't let those that are prepared to use kidnapping and terror succeed."
The Foreign Office said there was "no firm indication yet" as to who was behind the abductions. The Mahdi army official said the order to seize the hostages was handed down by Hassan Salim, the militia's leading figure. He said the group was seeking to emulate what it saw as the successful outcome of the recent seizure of the 15 British sailors by its allies in the Iranian government. He added that the militia's demands had already been passed to Iraq's prime minister, Nouri al Maliki, a Shia Muslim close to the Mahdi army's political wing.
There has been no official confirmation of any demands being made. The official was directly contradicted by Sheikh Abdel al-Sattar al-Bahad, a senior aide to radical Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, to whom the Mahdi army is intensely loyal. He denied any involvement by the Mahdi army.
GardaWorld, the Canadian security contractor which employs the security guards, and BearingPoint, a US management consultancy which employs the computer expert, said they were continuing to hope for the men's safe release. Their identities have not yet been released.
The men were snatched by up to 40 men, some in police uniforms. Hoshyar Zebari, Iraq's foreign minister, said it had been known "for some time" that insurgents had infiltrated the police and security services. For the kidnappers to act with such confidence they "must have some connection", he added.
Whitehall's emergency response unit, Cobra, met again yesterday and Margaret Beckett, the Foreign Secretary, said officials were working closely with the Iraqi authorities and doing everything they could to secure the captives' "swift and safe release". Mr Blair, on a visit to Sierra Leone, said: "We know the dangers and challenges there but we shouldn't let those that are prepared to use kidnapping and terror succeed."
The Foreign Office said there was "no firm indication yet" as to who was behind the abductions. The Mahdi army official said the order to seize the hostages was handed down by Hassan Salim, the militia's leading figure. He said the group was seeking to emulate what it saw as the successful outcome of the recent seizure of the 15 British sailors by its allies in the Iranian government. He added that the militia's demands had already been passed to Iraq's prime minister, Nouri al Maliki, a Shia Muslim close to the Mahdi army's political wing.
There has been no official confirmation of any demands being made. The official was directly contradicted by Sheikh Abdel al-Sattar al-Bahad, a senior aide to radical Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, to whom the Mahdi army is intensely loyal. He denied any involvement by the Mahdi army.
GardaWorld, the Canadian security contractor which employs the security guards, and BearingPoint, a US management consultancy which employs the computer expert, said they were continuing to hope for the men's safe release. Their identities have not yet been released.
The men were snatched by up to 40 men, some in police uniforms. Hoshyar Zebari, Iraq's foreign minister, said it had been known "for some time" that insurgents had infiltrated the police and security services. For the kidnappers to act with such confidence they "must have some connection", he added.
Labels: Basra, Bearingpoint, Britons, Camp Bucca, Cobra, GardaWorld, Hassan Salim, Mahdi Army, prisoners, Sheikh Abdel al-Sattar al-Bahad
Insurgents fight each other in western Baghdad
Security
(Voices of Iraq) - Wide-scale clashes broke out on Thursday in al-Aameriya neighborhood in western Baghdad between gunmen believed to be members of al-Ashreen (1920) Revolution Brigades and the Islamic army on the one hand and elements of al-Qaeda on the other, eyewitnesses said. "The clashes covered most of the main streets, like al-Amal al-Shaabi, al-Munathama and al-Markaz in al-Aameriya neighborhood in western Baghdad," an eyewitness told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI) over the phone.
"Residents are besieged inside their houses and the clashes still underway," he added. "Many masked gunmen arrived to the area seemingly as reinforcements and are engaged in the clashes," he also said, noting that most likely they are from al-Qaeda, backing up their elements. Another eyewitness said that al-Aameriya preparatory school, where many gunmen hide, was mortared.
A third eyewitness told VOI by telephone that he can see through his house window scores of bodies in the main street near the police station in al-Aameriya. "The Iraqi army and police forces have not intervened so far, but U.S. helicopters were seen hovering over the area," the third eyewitness said. No word was available from Iraqi police or Multi-National Forces on the clashes.
Al-Aameriya, a Sunni neighborhood, is in the western part of Baghdad where many armed groups that linked to Qaeda in Iraq organization. Media reports have recently indicated a divorce between al-Qaeda and other armed factions like al-Ashreen (1920) Revolution Brigades and The Islamic Army after accusing Qaeda of being behind the killing of militants belonging to some Iraqi armed groups including the al-Ashreen Revolution Brigades and the Islamic Army.
"Residents are besieged inside their houses and the clashes still underway," he added. "Many masked gunmen arrived to the area seemingly as reinforcements and are engaged in the clashes," he also said, noting that most likely they are from al-Qaeda, backing up their elements. Another eyewitness said that al-Aameriya preparatory school, where many gunmen hide, was mortared.
A third eyewitness told VOI by telephone that he can see through his house window scores of bodies in the main street near the police station in al-Aameriya. "The Iraqi army and police forces have not intervened so far, but U.S. helicopters were seen hovering over the area," the third eyewitness said. No word was available from Iraqi police or Multi-National Forces on the clashes.
Al-Aameriya, a Sunni neighborhood, is in the western part of Baghdad where many armed groups that linked to Qaeda in Iraq organization. Media reports have recently indicated a divorce between al-Qaeda and other armed factions like al-Ashreen (1920) Revolution Brigades and The Islamic Army after accusing Qaeda of being behind the killing of militants belonging to some Iraqi armed groups including the al-Ashreen Revolution Brigades and the Islamic Army.
Labels: Al Qaeda, al-Aameriya, Islamic Army, the 1920 Revolution Brigades
Kurds reject postponement of Article 140
Government
(Kurdish Globe) - Baghdad may be looking for a three-year delay in implementing a stated article of the new Iraqi Constitution, which is anything but in the best interests of Kurds. Kurdistan Region President Massoud Barzani met with the UN Secretary-General's special representative, Ashraf Qazi, and rejected the possibility of canceling or postponing the implementation of Article 140 to normalize the situation in the oil-rich city of Kirkuk.
Kurdish leaders and politicians believe that any delay in implementing the article will not be in the best interests of the people of Kurdistan.
"The government of Kurdistan rejected a proposal by the government of Nuri al-Maliki to postpone the implementation of Article 140 for three years," said Mullah Bakhtiar, a member of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan political bureau, the party of Iraqi President, Jalal Talabani. Mullah Bakhtiar stressed that "the Kurds demand the implementation of that article in the constitutional time frame assessed."
Bakhtiar said that if Kurdish leaders agree to a three-year delay, the Baghdad government by that time will have become economically and politically stronger and may choose not to implement the article at all. "We must not lose this precious opportunity in our hands and we must work toward accelerating the implementation and not postponing it," said Mullah Bakhtiar. On his latest visit to Baghdad, Kurdistan Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani discussed the implementation of Article 140 with the Iraqi officials. He expressed optimism and described the meeting as successful.
Kurdish leaders and politicians believe that any delay in implementing the article will not be in the best interests of the people of Kurdistan.
"The government of Kurdistan rejected a proposal by the government of Nuri al-Maliki to postpone the implementation of Article 140 for three years," said Mullah Bakhtiar, a member of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan political bureau, the party of Iraqi President, Jalal Talabani. Mullah Bakhtiar stressed that "the Kurds demand the implementation of that article in the constitutional time frame assessed."
Bakhtiar said that if Kurdish leaders agree to a three-year delay, the Baghdad government by that time will have become economically and politically stronger and may choose not to implement the article at all. "We must not lose this precious opportunity in our hands and we must work toward accelerating the implementation and not postponing it," said Mullah Bakhtiar. On his latest visit to Baghdad, Kurdistan Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani discussed the implementation of Article 140 with the Iraqi officials. He expressed optimism and described the meeting as successful.
Fryad Rwandzi, member of the Iraqi Parliament's Kurdistan Coalition List, said that the Iraqi committee for implementing the Iraqi constitution gave Kurdish leaders two options on the Kirkuk issue, and Kurdish leaders are now studying them.
The first option states that steps for normalizing the Kirkuk situation (implementing Article 140) should be completed by the end of 2008, instead of 2007. The constitution currently calls for implementation at the end of 2007.
The second option is that Kirkuk province could become a federal region, and all areas now under control of the Kurdistan government could be returned to the Kirkuk region; then, after three years, a referendum would be held for people to decide either to be part of Kurdistan Region, the Baghdad government, or a federal region.
The first option states that steps for normalizing the Kirkuk situation (implementing Article 140) should be completed by the end of 2008, instead of 2007. The constitution currently calls for implementation at the end of 2007.
The second option is that Kirkuk province could become a federal region, and all areas now under control of the Kurdistan government could be returned to the Kirkuk region; then, after three years, a referendum would be held for people to decide either to be part of Kurdistan Region, the Baghdad government, or a federal region.
Labels: Article 140, Ashraf Qazi, Iraqi constitution, Kirkuk, Massoud Barzani, Mullah Bakhtiar
Demonstrations in Samawa against power, fuel shortages
Electricity
(Azzaman) - Thousands of people went to the streets in the southern Province of Muthana, protesting power and fuel shortages. The demonstration took place in Samawa, Muthana’s capital, with the organizers warning of grave consequence if the current shortages of fuel and power were not addressed. Demonstrations also took place in Rumaitha, a provincial town.
Residents say the province has been without electricity in the past few days. The total outage has had detrimental impact on public services. The outage has been aggravated by chronic fuel shortages. The crisis, officials say, is unprecedented in the province’s history. A senior provincial official, Ridaydh Dwaini, blamed the Ministry of Electricity for the crisis.
He said the province does not have its own power-generating plant and totally relies on the national grid for supplies. But the ministry says acts of sabotage, particularly of pylons, have increased substantially recently making it very hard to control the national grid. The head of Samawa fuel distribution center, Kamel Mohsen, also blamed the Ministry of Electricity, saying filling stations and distribution centers rely on continuous power supplies to operate.
Samawa has a small refinery capable of meeting nearly half of the province’s fuel demands. But Mohsen said a fuel tanker was blown up in the refinery itself recently, setting loading pumps and meters on fire.
Residents say the province has been without electricity in the past few days. The total outage has had detrimental impact on public services. The outage has been aggravated by chronic fuel shortages. The crisis, officials say, is unprecedented in the province’s history. A senior provincial official, Ridaydh Dwaini, blamed the Ministry of Electricity for the crisis.
He said the province does not have its own power-generating plant and totally relies on the national grid for supplies. But the ministry says acts of sabotage, particularly of pylons, have increased substantially recently making it very hard to control the national grid. The head of Samawa fuel distribution center, Kamel Mohsen, also blamed the Ministry of Electricity, saying filling stations and distribution centers rely on continuous power supplies to operate.
Samawa has a small refinery capable of meeting nearly half of the province’s fuel demands. But Mohsen said a fuel tanker was blown up in the refinery itself recently, setting loading pumps and meters on fire.
Labels: electricity, fuel, Muthana, Samawa
Extortion Against Incoming Passengers By Contract Company Drivers
Crime
(Azzaman Newspaper) - 30 MAY - Iraqi passengers have asked the Ministry of Transport to investigate the transport car drivers at Baghdad Airport, who they describe as thieves because they extort the passengers by increasing the transport costs. The drivers said that they are charging more because of the security situation and that their lives are in danger.
Citizen Zainab Hussein, 35 years old, said that the drivers at Baghdad Airport are extorting the passengers and they charged her and two of her colleagues 150,000 ID to bring take them from the airport to Baghdad city. Mohammed Kadhm, 50 years old, said that the drivers refused to go to a certain area in Baghdad because of the security situation and they said that they are wanted [by terrorists] because they work in the airport. The drivers are also afraid of their cars being stolen because they are new. Kadhm said, “They forced us to give them the money they wanted to transport us. We do not have any other choice for transportation.”
Saad Abdallah, 42 years old, said, “I suffered when I returned from the airport because the driver asked us to pay 75,000 ID, then they took an extra 40,000 ID when we asked him to drive us two kilometers farther.” The passengers said that this is a clear extortion operation against them and they asked for the drivers to be punished because they act as if they own the cars themselves.
Up until now our newspaper has not received any explanation from Iraqi Airways about these incidents. On the other side, tens of passengers who are on their way to Amman are stuck in the airport for two days because there is no plan to transport them and this phenomenon is repeated many times which forces them to stay the night and sleep in the airport rooms. Our newspaper reporter, who was one of those stuck in the airport said, “The Parliament and government officials take the seats on the aircraft without reservations. They do not care that there are businessmen and patients that have appointments and cannot be delayed.”
Citizen Zainab Hussein, 35 years old, said that the drivers at Baghdad Airport are extorting the passengers and they charged her and two of her colleagues 150,000 ID to bring take them from the airport to Baghdad city. Mohammed Kadhm, 50 years old, said that the drivers refused to go to a certain area in Baghdad because of the security situation and they said that they are wanted [by terrorists] because they work in the airport. The drivers are also afraid of their cars being stolen because they are new. Kadhm said, “They forced us to give them the money they wanted to transport us. We do not have any other choice for transportation.”
Saad Abdallah, 42 years old, said, “I suffered when I returned from the airport because the driver asked us to pay 75,000 ID, then they took an extra 40,000 ID when we asked him to drive us two kilometers farther.” The passengers said that this is a clear extortion operation against them and they asked for the drivers to be punished because they act as if they own the cars themselves.
Up until now our newspaper has not received any explanation from Iraqi Airways about these incidents. On the other side, tens of passengers who are on their way to Amman are stuck in the airport for two days because there is no plan to transport them and this phenomenon is repeated many times which forces them to stay the night and sleep in the airport rooms. Our newspaper reporter, who was one of those stuck in the airport said, “The Parliament and government officials take the seats on the aircraft without reservations. They do not care that there are businessmen and patients that have appointments and cannot be delayed.”
Labels: Baghdad International Airport, transportation
Suicide bomber hits police recruiting centre, kills 25
Security
(AP) - A suicide bomber hit a police recruiting center Thursday in Fallujah, killing as many as 25 people, police said. The U.S. military said only one policeman was killed and eight were wounded. U.S. forces backed by helicopter gunships clashed with suspected al-Qaida gunmen in western Baghdad in an engagement that lasted several hours.
The Fallujah suicide bomber killed at least 10 policemen in the attack, which occurred about 11 a.m., according to a police official in the city who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release the information. The rest of the dead were civilians, many of them in line seeking jobs as policemen. He said as many as 50 were wounded.
Fallujah General Hospital had received 15 bodies and 10 wounded, according to a doctor there, who would not allow the use of his name because he feared retribution. The physician said he believed other casualties were taken to the nearby Jordanian Hospital and private clinics. A member of the Fallujah city council, who also asked for anonymity for fear of attack by insurgents, said there were at least 20 killed and 25 injured. The coordination of information in Fallujah was particularly difficult because the mobile telephone system has been working only sporadically.
Maj. Jeff Pool of the Multi-National Force-West said the Anbar province governor's office and the provincial police put the total number of dead at one Iraqi policeman, with six police and two civilians wounded in Fallujah, 40 miles west of Baghdad. Police said the bomber detonated explosives in his vest at the third of four checkpoints, standing among recruits who were lining up to apply for jobs on the force. The center had only opened Saturday in a primary school in eastern Fallujah.
The U.S. military and Iraqi army and police were running the center along with members of Anbar Salvation Council, a loose grouping of Sunni tribes that have banded together to fight al-Qaida. Police stations and recruiting posts have been a favorite target of Sunni insurgents and al-Qaida throughout the war.
The Fallujah suicide bomber killed at least 10 policemen in the attack, which occurred about 11 a.m., according to a police official in the city who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release the information. The rest of the dead were civilians, many of them in line seeking jobs as policemen. He said as many as 50 were wounded.
Fallujah General Hospital had received 15 bodies and 10 wounded, according to a doctor there, who would not allow the use of his name because he feared retribution. The physician said he believed other casualties were taken to the nearby Jordanian Hospital and private clinics. A member of the Fallujah city council, who also asked for anonymity for fear of attack by insurgents, said there were at least 20 killed and 25 injured. The coordination of information in Fallujah was particularly difficult because the mobile telephone system has been working only sporadically.
Maj. Jeff Pool of the Multi-National Force-West said the Anbar province governor's office and the provincial police put the total number of dead at one Iraqi policeman, with six police and two civilians wounded in Fallujah, 40 miles west of Baghdad. Police said the bomber detonated explosives in his vest at the third of four checkpoints, standing among recruits who were lining up to apply for jobs on the force. The center had only opened Saturday in a primary school in eastern Fallujah.
The U.S. military and Iraqi army and police were running the center along with members of Anbar Salvation Council, a loose grouping of Sunni tribes that have banded together to fight al-Qaida. Police stations and recruiting posts have been a favorite target of Sunni insurgents and al-Qaida throughout the war.
Labels: Anbar Salvation Council, Fallujah, policemen, suicide bomber
Turkish top general ready for northern Iraq strike
Region
(AP) - Turkey's top general said Thursday the military was ready to stage a cross-border offensive to fight Kurdish guerrillas in Iraq and that he already had sought government approval to mount military action. Earlier Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has pledged his support for any military decision to stage an incursion into Iraq, said the army had not yet asked parliament for permission.
But Gen. Yasar Buyukanit said he had asked for approval during a news conference on April 12, when he said "an operation into Iraq is necessary." "We have told both Turkey and the world on April 12 that as soldiers, we are ready," Buyukanit said Thursday. Buyukanit's remarks appeared to put Erdogan's government under pressure to seek approval from parliament to send soldiers into Iraq to fight separatist Kurdish guerrillas. The rebels have long used northern Iraq as a base in their campaign for self-rule in southeast Turkey.
The United States opposes any unilateral Turkish military action, fearing it could destabilize northern Iraq - the calmest part of the country. Massoud Barzani, the leader of the autonomous Kurdish region in northern Iraq, also strongly opposes a Turkish incursion and has threatened to confront Turkish soldiers if they enter northern Iraq.
Military trucks hauled more tanks and guns to the border area Thursday, local reporters said. For weeks, TV stations have broadcast images of military trucks rumbling along the remote border, and trains transferring tanks and guns to bolster an already formidable force in the area.
But Gen. Yasar Buyukanit said he had asked for approval during a news conference on April 12, when he said "an operation into Iraq is necessary." "We have told both Turkey and the world on April 12 that as soldiers, we are ready," Buyukanit said Thursday. Buyukanit's remarks appeared to put Erdogan's government under pressure to seek approval from parliament to send soldiers into Iraq to fight separatist Kurdish guerrillas. The rebels have long used northern Iraq as a base in their campaign for self-rule in southeast Turkey.
The United States opposes any unilateral Turkish military action, fearing it could destabilize northern Iraq - the calmest part of the country. Massoud Barzani, the leader of the autonomous Kurdish region in northern Iraq, also strongly opposes a Turkish incursion and has threatened to confront Turkish soldiers if they enter northern Iraq.
Military trucks hauled more tanks and guns to the border area Thursday, local reporters said. For weeks, TV stations have broadcast images of military trucks rumbling along the remote border, and trains transferring tanks and guns to bolster an already formidable force in the area.
Labels: Gen. Yasar Buyukanit, PKK, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey
islamic State of Iraq claims to have thermal bombs
Insurgency
(RFE/RL) - The Al-Qaeda-affiliated Islamic State of Iraq said in a video posted to the Internet that it now has Russian-made thermal bombs, Al-Jazeera television reported on May 30. The group said it has established a new unit called the Thermal Brigade to attack coalition vehicles with its thermal grenades. The Islamic State of Iraq claims the grenades can penetrate armored vehicles. The video shows insurgents lobbing the grenades at the vehicles, the news channel reported.
Labels: Islamic State of Iraq, thermal bombs, Thermal Brigade
Jordan Agrees To Allow Iraqi Passport Type “S” Until End Of Year
Region
(Azzaman Newspaper) - 30 MAY - The Iraqi Ambassador in Amman, Saad Jassim Al Hayaini, said that the Jordanian government has informed him of their decision to continue accepting the Iraqi passport type “S” until the end of the year instead of the 30th of this month. Al Hayaini added that the Jordanian decision came after an Iraqi request because of the difficulties in distributing the new type “G” passport. The minister in Amman has received only 200 passports daily; they complete the information and send it to Baghdad.
Jordan announced previously that it would not accept the old type “S” passport because they believe that it is easy to forge and the current number of Iraqis with the type “S” passport in Amman is 750,000. An Iraqi Parliament delegation visited Jordan two weeks ago and met with Jordanian officials including the Minister of Interior, intelligence officers, Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Education to find help for the Iraqis that are suffering there. On the other side, the Ministry of Interior stopped the special procedures for changing names and family names for one year.
Labels: Jordan, Saad Jassim Al Hayaini, Type G Passports, Type S passports
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
INM daily summary – 30 May 2007
Scroll down for full articles.
- Turkey has sent large contingents of reinforcement soldiers, tanks and armored personnel carriers to its border with Iraq as debate heated up over whether to stage a cross-border offensive to hit Kurdish rebel bases.
- An undated letter issued by Muqtada al-Sadr's Mahdi army to Christians in Baghdad orders Christian women to veil themselves or face grave consequences.
- Arab officials and commentators said Tuesday they feared the budding dialogue between Washington and Iran could cut them out of the debate over the future of Iraq.
- A Shia militia group is thought to be behind the kidnapping of five Britons in the Iraqi capital Baghdad. Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said that the Mehdi Army, rather than al-Qaeda, could be responsible.
- London-based ORB has received the go-ahead to continue its annual tracking survey of public opinion in Iraq.
- The Iranian Sepah Bank will soon open a branch in Baghdad, according to the counselor for economic affairs at the Iranian embassy in Iraq.
- The Iraqi parliament will vote in weeks on founding the state-owned National Iraqi Oil Company, former Iraqi Oil Minister said on Tuesday.
- Poland’s Bumar arms manufacturer is scrambling aboard the latest trend in the industry, branching out from supplying bullets and tanks to getting involved in services – in this case training Iraqi special forces troops in Poland.
- Hill International's Construction Consultation firm announced that the group has won a $23.6 mn. contract to offer construction management support services as part of the Iraq Reconstruction Program.
- The President of the Electronic Control Security, Inc. (ECSI) said that the company has recently been awarded with a release of $1 million from the $3.5 million contract which was signed for the new Iraqi Airport Program.
- The leader of the Dissolved Entities Commission, Mr. Rasheed Al Nassari said, “Preparations and communications are in progress to hold a large conference for former intelligence service, special security and general security members.”
Round-up of violence across Iraq
Security
(Reuters) - Following are security developments in Iraq at 1100 GMT on Wednesday:
* denotes new or updated item.
* HAMZA - A roadside bomb targeting a police intelligence officer's convoy killed two of his bodyguards and wounded three others, including the officer, police and medical sources said.
* MOSUL - A roadside bomb targeting a U.S. patrol wounded two civilians in Mosul, 390 km north of Baghdad, police said.
* BAGHDAD - U.S. soldiers detained 23 suspected insurgents during raids against suspected al Qaeda members in Baghdad, Mosul, Anbar and Saladdin provinces, the U.S. military said.
* BAGHDAD - The Iraqi army killed seven insurgents and arrested 53 others in the past 24 hours in different parts of Iraq, the Defence Ministry said.
FALLUJA - At least five people were killed and 15 wounded by mortar attacks in two different districts in the Sunni stronghold of Falluja, 50 km (35 miles) west of Baghdad, police said.
MOSUL - A woman was killed and two policemen were wounded in clashes between gunmen and police in Mosul, police said.
BAGHDAD - U.S. forces detained five suspected insurgents and one suspected cell leader during a raid in Sadr city in north-eastern Baghdad, the U.S. military said. The raid targeted members of a network suspected of importing roadside bombs and weapons from Iran.
BAGHDAD - The bodies of 30 people who had been shot were found in different districts of Baghdad on Tuesday, police said.
MADAEN - A roadside bomb targeting police commandos wounded four policemen on Tuesday in Madaen, 45 km south of Baghdad, police said.
BAGHDAD - Three people were wounded by a mortar attack in Jamiaa district of western Baghdad, police said.
ISKANDARIYA - Gunmen wounded three policemen when they attacked a checkpoint on Tuesday in the town of Iskandariya, 40 km south of Baghdad, police said.
* denotes new or updated item.
* HAMZA - A roadside bomb targeting a police intelligence officer's convoy killed two of his bodyguards and wounded three others, including the officer, police and medical sources said.
* MOSUL - A roadside bomb targeting a U.S. patrol wounded two civilians in Mosul, 390 km north of Baghdad, police said.
* BAGHDAD - U.S. soldiers detained 23 suspected insurgents during raids against suspected al Qaeda members in Baghdad, Mosul, Anbar and Saladdin provinces, the U.S. military said.
* BAGHDAD - The Iraqi army killed seven insurgents and arrested 53 others in the past 24 hours in different parts of Iraq, the Defence Ministry said.
FALLUJA - At least five people were killed and 15 wounded by mortar attacks in two different districts in the Sunni stronghold of Falluja, 50 km (35 miles) west of Baghdad, police said.
MOSUL - A woman was killed and two policemen were wounded in clashes between gunmen and police in Mosul, police said.
BAGHDAD - U.S. forces detained five suspected insurgents and one suspected cell leader during a raid in Sadr city in north-eastern Baghdad, the U.S. military said. The raid targeted members of a network suspected of importing roadside bombs and weapons from Iran.
BAGHDAD - The bodies of 30 people who had been shot were found in different districts of Baghdad on Tuesday, police said.
MADAEN - A roadside bomb targeting police commandos wounded four policemen on Tuesday in Madaen, 45 km south of Baghdad, police said.
BAGHDAD - Three people were wounded by a mortar attack in Jamiaa district of western Baghdad, police said.
ISKANDARIYA - Gunmen wounded three policemen when they attacked a checkpoint on Tuesday in the town of Iskandariya, 40 km south of Baghdad, police said.
Labels: Baghdad, Fallujah, Hamza, insurgents, Iskandariyah, Jamiaa, Madaen, mortar rounds, Mosul, roadside bombs, Sadr City
Preparations For Large Conference Of Former Security Forces Members
Politics, Security
(Dar Al Salam Newspaper) - 29 MAY - The leader of the Dissolved Entities Commission, Mr. Rasheed Al Nassari said, “Preparations and communications are in progress to hold a large conference for former intelligence service, special security and general security members.” Al Nassari added that the goal of this conference is to find solutions for these members’ issues. He said that the commission has finished the paperwork for 2,217 former intelligence and security service members giving them the choice of either being rehired or retiring.
Despite this invitation, a large elimination campaign has been conducted by sectarian militia to target former army officers and security service members. Political and religious powers have rejected invitations to rehire the former officers in the new army. An MOI spokesman has threatened the former security service members using the anti-terrorism law if they will not go to the nearest police station to record their names and positions. The Accord Front responded to this statement by saying, “The government has no right to force these former officers to be rehired in the new army. We consider this suicide.”
Labels: Dissolved Entities Commission, former security forces, Rasheed Al Nassari
ECSI wins $1 mn. contract for new Iraqi Airport Program
Contracts
(MENAFN) - The President of the Electronic Control Security, Inc. (ECSI) said that the company has recently been awarded with a release of $1 million from the $3.5 million contract which was signed for the new Iraqi Airport Program, Portal Iraq reported. He mentioned that the initial $1 million release will include metal detection equipment and support services which is to be delivered within three months and is to be followed up by a $2.5 million release for passenger baggage x-ray equipment and other related services. It is noteworthy that that the ECSI company was selected for the Iraqi Airport Program due to its application of engineering and its competence for design to address entry control systems for travelers and employees at aviation entities.
Labels: Electronic Control Security, Inc., Iraqi Airport Program, reconstruction
Hill International win $23.6 mn. Iraq contract
Construction
(MENAFN) - A member of the Hill International's Construction Consultation firm announced that the group has won tasks to offer construction management support services as part of the Iraq Reconstruction Program. He further mentioned that the task orders received by the Hill group are for one year with a combined value of $23.6 million. It is noteworthy that the Hill's company has been awarded to take-part in providing assistance to the U.S. Corps in the managing of the Iraq Reconstruction Program.
(MENAFN) - A member of the Hill International's Construction Consultation firm announced that the group has won tasks to offer construction management support services as part of the Iraq Reconstruction Program. He further mentioned that the task orders received by the Hill group are for one year with a combined value of $23.6 million. It is noteworthy that the Hill's company has been awarded to take-part in providing assistance to the U.S. Corps in the managing of the Iraq Reconstruction Program.
Labels: Hill International's Construction Consultation, Iraq, reconstruction
Polish arms manufacturer pursues $25 mn. Iraqi training contract
Contracts
(Financial Times) - Poland’s Bumar arms manufacturer is scrambling aboard the latest trend in the industry, branching out from supplying bullets and tanks to getting involved in services – in this case training Iraqi special forces troops in Poland. The company is also confident of winning a contract to send Polish teams to Iraq to train Iraqi soldiers in the use of Bumar’s Dzik armoured vehicles, says Waldemar Skowron, the company’s acting chief executive.
Slawomir Kulakowski, head of the Polish Chamber of Armaments Producers, says Bumar is following the example of other prominent military services companies such as Blackwater of the US. This should be an area of growing importance for Bumar. The $25m Iraqi service contract is part of a larger series of deals to supply the beleaguered Baghdad government with as much as $400m of equipment, says Mr Skowron.
“Iraq needs weapons quickly. Once the government decides it wants something, it wants it right away,” says Mr Skowron, who was in Iraq with Mr Szczyglo earlier this year. Bumar has already sold about $400m worth of weapons and equipment to Iraq under a series of contracts signed in 2003. The Polish commercial effort in Iraq will be helped by the appointment of a new ambassador to Baghdad, retired general Edward Pietrzyk. Warsaw has been disappointed with Iraqi contracts, a sore point because Poland was one of only four countries to take part in the initial invasion in 2003, and continues to maintain a military presence there despite widespread opposition in Poland.
“We feel we have more right to do business in Iraq than countries not in the coalition, but we realise we still have to win these contracts,” says Mr Skowron. Last year the government-owned holding company reported sales of 2.5bn zlotys ($880m), and earned a profit of 8m zlotys. Its sales are a sharp increase from the early years following the collapse of communism, when most export markets dried up and Bumar was forced to rely on sales to the Polish military.
Labels: Bumar, Dzik armored vehicles, Edward Pietrzyk, Iraqi special forces, Poland, training
Iraq to set up national oil firm
Oil
(Al Alam News) - The Iraqi parliament will vote in weeks on founding the state-owned National Iraqi Oil Company, former Iraqi Oil Minister said on Tuesday. "The main goal of the new Iraqi oil and gas bill is founding a National Iraqi Oil Company which can regulate the oil and gas sectors which suffer from lack of coordination between several decision maker and administrative units" Ebrahim Bahr Al Uloum said in remarks to alalam TV.
(Al Alam News) - The Iraqi parliament will vote in weeks on founding the state-owned National Iraqi Oil Company, former Iraqi Oil Minister said on Tuesday. "The main goal of the new Iraqi oil and gas bill is founding a National Iraqi Oil Company which can regulate the oil and gas sectors which suffer from lack of coordination between several decision maker and administrative units" Ebrahim Bahr Al Uloum said in remarks to alalam TV.
He added that several Iraqi political groups see the oil and gas bill as a plan to distribute the income of oil exports, but insisted that the bill has 4 goals including reviving the National Iraqi Oil Company, setting a structure for the Oil Ministry, coordinating the government and oil producing provinces and specifying the position of foreign investors. Bahr Al Uloum described the oil as the main income of Iraqi nation and emphasized that giving the exclusive managment right of the National Iraqi Oil Company as well as controlling foreign investments could ensure a just sharing of wealth from Iraq's oil reserves between the whole Iraqi nation.
Labels: Ebrahim Bahr Al Uloum, Gas, Iraqi parliament, National Iraqi Oil Company, oil
Iranian bank to open branch in Baghdad
Business
(Press TV) - The Iranian Sepah Bank will soon open a branch in Baghdad, according to the counselor for economic affairs at the Iranian embassy in Iraq. Speaking with IRNA on Saturday, Ali Heydari added that Iraq's Central Bank officials have visited the site and given the go-ahead for executive operations. Referring to earlier reports of opening a branch of Bank Melli Iran (BMI) in Baghdad, Heydari said the bank is expected to officially begin operations by the end of the week.
"Independent foreign banks" is a new concept in war-torn Iraq and the country's Central Bank regulations stipulate that foreign banks should open an account and deposit at least 50 billion Iraqi dinars following an initial agreement. Tejarat, Keshaverzi (Agriculture Bank) and Eqtesad-e Novin are among other Iranian banks that wish to open Iraqi branches. The establishment of Iranian banks in Iraq will open new horizons for further bilateral economic relations. Established in 1925, Sepah Bank is the country's oldest bank. It is currently running three branches in Frankfurt, Paris and Rome.
Labels: Ali Heydari, Baghdad, Eqtesad-e Novin, Iran, Keshaverzi, Sepah Bank, Tejarat
London company get go-ahead to continue survey of public opinion in Iraq
(BI-ME) - London-based ORB has received the go-ahead to continue its annual tracking survey of public opinion in Iraq. Now three years old, the survey involves face-to-face interviews with a nationally representative sample of Sunnis, Shias and Kurds. The poll includes feedback from 5,019 Iraqis aged 18-plus, but confidentiality and safety issues prevent ORB from disclosing its client’s name, or details of how the fieldwork is carried out.
Some of the latest results indicate that despite April being one of the bloodiest months since the end of the war, a majority (51%) believe that life is better under the current regime, with 23% preferring life under Saddam Hussein’s rule. In Baghdad those who prefer the new system has increased from 49% to 54% since the March poll.
Some of the latest results indicate that despite April being one of the bloodiest months since the end of the war, a majority (51%) believe that life is better under the current regime, with 23% preferring life under Saddam Hussein’s rule. In Baghdad those who prefer the new system has increased from 49% to 54% since the March poll.
Even amid the rising number of civilian deaths resulting from militia activity, just a fifth (21%) believe that their country is in a state of civil war. The proportion saying that ‘Iraq is close to a state of civil war, but not in one yet’, has increased from 22% to 26%.One in two respondents (49%) believe that from what they have seen, read or heard, President Bush’s additional troop deployment is making Baghdad’s security situation ‘a great deal worse’. Only 11% of those questioned say it is improving the situation.
At last year’s ESOMAR Congress, ORB Managing Director Johnny Heald presented a paper entitled ‘Polling In A War Zone’ in which he outlined some of the dangers encountered by interviews in war torn situations.
Labels: Johnny Heald, ORB, survey
Mahdi Army may be behind abduction of foreigners
Security
(BBC) - A Shia militia group is thought to be behind the kidnapping of five Britons in the Iraqi capital Baghdad.
Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said that the Mehdi Army, rather than al-Qaeda, could be responsible.
The Anglican vicar of Baghdad, Canon Andrew White, said the kidnapping could be linked to the recent killing of a radical Shia cleric by UK troops.
The Britons were seized at a government building near Baghdad's Sadr City suburb, a Mehdi Army stronghold.
The five men - a computer expert and four bodyguards - were taken from the finance ministry building in Baghdad. The kidnappers wore police uniforms and staged the capture without firing a shot, senior Iraqi officials said.
Mr Zebari said the kidnappings represented a "very serious challenge... to the government itself". The kidnappers probably had connections with local police in the area, he told the BBC's Today programme. "The number of people who were involved in the operation, to seal all the buildings, to set roadblocks, to get into the building with such confidence, [they] must have some connection."
Canon Andrew White said there was "very likely a connection" between Tuesday's kidnappings and the death of Abu Qadir, also known as Wissam Waili, a leader of the Mehdi Army militia, who was killed in Basra on 25 May. He told the BBC: "The worrying thing is this is obviously not a case for ransom demand; economic hostage-taking is fairly easy to deal with. "The fact is that just last week, one [leader] of the most militant wing of the Mehdi Army was killed by the British troops, and we now see that there is very likely a connection between these two [events]."
UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, speaking during a trip to Libya, said: "We will do everything we possibly can to help." In a statement, Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett said support was being offered to the kidnap victims' next of kin at what was "clearly a very distressing time for all concerned". The Iraqi government itself has got a few questions to answer about this. "It is not sensible at this stage to speculate on what might have happened," the statement said. "We are working closely with the Iraqi authorities to establish the facts and doing all we can to secure their swift and safe release."
British embassy officials in Iraq are following up the case and the Iraqi government has set up a special operations room. The British government convened an emergency meeting of its Cobra crisis management committee to discuss the issue on Tuesday afternoon.
The four kidnapped security guards were working for Canadian-owned security firm GardaWorld. The company is one of the biggest suppliers of private security in Iraq, and is mainly staffed by Britons. The computer expert was working for Bearingpoint, a US management consultancy which has worked on development projects in Iraq since 2003. As yet, no group has taken responsibility for the abduction.
This is thought to be the first time Westerners have been abducted from a government facility. BBC security correspondent Frank Gardner said: "Because these men were very unusually seized from a government ministry in broad daylight by people dressed as special police commandoes, in an incredibly brazen raid, the Iraqi government itself has got a few questions to answer about this.
"I think the suspicion is that there was some connivance, possibly low or middle-level, within the police. The Iraqi police is known to be heavily infiltrated by Shia militias." BBC correspondent Jim Muir said similar abductions of large numbers of Iraqis had been blamed on Shia militias, but it was not being ruled out that Tuesday's raid could have been staged by Sunni insurgents. He said senior Iraqi officials said the kidnappers told guards at the Ministry of Finance building that they were from the Integrity Commission - the Iraqi government's internal watchdog.
Witnesses said that the street was sealed off at both ends and the kidnappers, in police camouflage uniforms, walked past guards at the finance ministry building on Palestine Street. A police source told the BBC that dozens of police vehicles were used in the operation. Frank Gardner said a team of experienced police hostage negotiators had already been assembled, and that extra staff had been flown to the British Embassy in Baghdad following the kidnappings.
Intense negotiations were going on with Iraqi officials, and US representatives in Iraq, he said. He added: "It's thought that it would be quite hard for them to abduct these people and take them too far from the area where they were seized without being detected. "So there will be back-channel contacts, SIS - the Secret Intelligence Service - will be involved in this, speaking to informers, trying to find out if anybody has seen anything suspicious, and trying to find out who they are dealing with here." About 200 foreigners of many different nationalities have been kidnapped in Iraq over the past four years, though the number has fallen dramatically since a few years ago.
Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said that the Mehdi Army, rather than al-Qaeda, could be responsible.
The Anglican vicar of Baghdad, Canon Andrew White, said the kidnapping could be linked to the recent killing of a radical Shia cleric by UK troops.
The Britons were seized at a government building near Baghdad's Sadr City suburb, a Mehdi Army stronghold.
The five men - a computer expert and four bodyguards - were taken from the finance ministry building in Baghdad. The kidnappers wore police uniforms and staged the capture without firing a shot, senior Iraqi officials said.
Mr Zebari said the kidnappings represented a "very serious challenge... to the government itself". The kidnappers probably had connections with local police in the area, he told the BBC's Today programme. "The number of people who were involved in the operation, to seal all the buildings, to set roadblocks, to get into the building with such confidence, [they] must have some connection."
Canon Andrew White said there was "very likely a connection" between Tuesday's kidnappings and the death of Abu Qadir, also known as Wissam Waili, a leader of the Mehdi Army militia, who was killed in Basra on 25 May. He told the BBC: "The worrying thing is this is obviously not a case for ransom demand; economic hostage-taking is fairly easy to deal with. "The fact is that just last week, one [leader] of the most militant wing of the Mehdi Army was killed by the British troops, and we now see that there is very likely a connection between these two [events]."
UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, speaking during a trip to Libya, said: "We will do everything we possibly can to help." In a statement, Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett said support was being offered to the kidnap victims' next of kin at what was "clearly a very distressing time for all concerned". The Iraqi government itself has got a few questions to answer about this. "It is not sensible at this stage to speculate on what might have happened," the statement said. "We are working closely with the Iraqi authorities to establish the facts and doing all we can to secure their swift and safe release."
British embassy officials in Iraq are following up the case and the Iraqi government has set up a special operations room. The British government convened an emergency meeting of its Cobra crisis management committee to discuss the issue on Tuesday afternoon.
The four kidnapped security guards were working for Canadian-owned security firm GardaWorld. The company is one of the biggest suppliers of private security in Iraq, and is mainly staffed by Britons. The computer expert was working for Bearingpoint, a US management consultancy which has worked on development projects in Iraq since 2003. As yet, no group has taken responsibility for the abduction.
This is thought to be the first time Westerners have been abducted from a government facility. BBC security correspondent Frank Gardner said: "Because these men were very unusually seized from a government ministry in broad daylight by people dressed as special police commandoes, in an incredibly brazen raid, the Iraqi government itself has got a few questions to answer about this.
"I think the suspicion is that there was some connivance, possibly low or middle-level, within the police. The Iraqi police is known to be heavily infiltrated by Shia militias." BBC correspondent Jim Muir said similar abductions of large numbers of Iraqis had been blamed on Shia militias, but it was not being ruled out that Tuesday's raid could have been staged by Sunni insurgents. He said senior Iraqi officials said the kidnappers told guards at the Ministry of Finance building that they were from the Integrity Commission - the Iraqi government's internal watchdog.
Witnesses said that the street was sealed off at both ends and the kidnappers, in police camouflage uniforms, walked past guards at the finance ministry building on Palestine Street. A police source told the BBC that dozens of police vehicles were used in the operation. Frank Gardner said a team of experienced police hostage negotiators had already been assembled, and that extra staff had been flown to the British Embassy in Baghdad following the kidnappings.
Intense negotiations were going on with Iraqi officials, and US representatives in Iraq, he said. He added: "It's thought that it would be quite hard for them to abduct these people and take them too far from the area where they were seized without being detected. "So there will be back-channel contacts, SIS - the Secret Intelligence Service - will be involved in this, speaking to informers, trying to find out if anybody has seen anything suspicious, and trying to find out who they are dealing with here." About 200 foreigners of many different nationalities have been kidnapped in Iraq over the past four years, though the number has fallen dramatically since a few years ago.
Labels: abduction, Abu Qadir, Baghdad, Basra, Bearingpoint, Canon Andrew White, Cobra, GardaWorld, Hoshyar Zibari, Mahdi Army, Ministry of Finance, Wissam Waili
Arab countries fear being cut out by U.S.-Iran talks
Politics, Security, Region
(AP) -- Arab officials and commentators said Tuesday they feared the budding dialogue between Washington and Iran could cut them out of the debate over the future of Iraq, one of the region's most important countries. Many of Iraq's Sunni Muslim-dominated neighbors worry that the U.S.-Iran dialogue could boost Iran's already enormous influence over the Iraqi government and security forces.
Iraq and Iran are both majority Shiite nations. But unlike Iran, which is Persian, most of Iraq's 27 million people are Arabs. "Iraq should not be stripped out of its Arab identity, especially as Iraq is one of the outstanding members and founder of the Arab League," Ahmed ben Heli, the Arab League's undersecretary general told reporters in Cairo on Tuesday.
Iraq and Iran are both majority Shiite nations. But unlike Iran, which is Persian, most of Iraq's 27 million people are Arabs. "Iraq should not be stripped out of its Arab identity, especially as Iraq is one of the outstanding members and founder of the Arab League," Ahmed ben Heli, the Arab League's undersecretary general told reporters in Cairo on Tuesday.
He cautioned that the United States and Iran are "not the only sides ... concerned with the situation in Iraq." "Developments in Iraq should not be conducted away from the Arabs' interests. As neighboring countries, we have interests because Iraq is part of the Arab League," he said. Gulf states fear being dominated by a resurgent Iran that, many believe, could be armed with nuclear weapons in a few years.
Abdulaziz Sager, the director of Dubai-based Gulf Research Center said there were concerns because Monday's talks skirted the issue of Iran's nuclear program. Iran denies U.S. accusations that it is secretly trying to develop nuclear weapons, saying its program is peaceful.
They also fear being sandwiched in a possible U.S.-Iran war in which they would likely become Iranian targets. The U.S. keeps 40,000 troops on bases in Gulf states and another 20,000 in Mideast waters. Ahmadinejad said this month that his country would retaliate against any U.S. attack. He called on Gulf states to evict the American military from the region and instead join a regional alliance with Iran.
The Gulf leaders gave a cold shoulder to Ahmadinejad's courtship, preferring America's security to domination by Iran. For that reason, Arab leaders want Washington to succeed in Iraq, Sager said. They worry that if the Americans leave Iraq too soon, it will fall into Iran's hands. "The Iranians are forging ahead with their plans for the whole area. Their ambitions are endless," said Fouad al-Hashem, a columnist with Kuwait's Al-Watan newspaper.
Abdulaziz Sager, the director of Dubai-based Gulf Research Center said there were concerns because Monday's talks skirted the issue of Iran's nuclear program. Iran denies U.S. accusations that it is secretly trying to develop nuclear weapons, saying its program is peaceful.
They also fear being sandwiched in a possible U.S.-Iran war in which they would likely become Iranian targets. The U.S. keeps 40,000 troops on bases in Gulf states and another 20,000 in Mideast waters. Ahmadinejad said this month that his country would retaliate against any U.S. attack. He called on Gulf states to evict the American military from the region and instead join a regional alliance with Iran.
The Gulf leaders gave a cold shoulder to Ahmadinejad's courtship, preferring America's security to domination by Iran. For that reason, Arab leaders want Washington to succeed in Iraq, Sager said. They worry that if the Americans leave Iraq too soon, it will fall into Iran's hands. "The Iranians are forging ahead with their plans for the whole area. Their ambitions are endless," said Fouad al-Hashem, a columnist with Kuwait's Al-Watan newspaper.
Labels: Ahmed ben Heli, Arab League, Gulf states, Iran, Iraq, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, U.S.
Mahdi Army orders Christian women to wear the veil
Security
(AINA) -- An undated letter issued by Muqtada al-Sadr's Mahdi army to Christians in Baghdad orders Christian women to veil themselves or face grave consequences. The letter, obtained and translated by AINA, states that the Virgin Mary was not unveiled and so Christian women should not be unveiled. The letter ends with an ominous note that committees have been established to monitor the Christian populace and enforce the decree.
For the Christian Assyrians (also known as Chaldeans and Syriacs) in Baghdad, the imposition of Shari'a (Islamic law) is coming from both Sunnis and Shiites. On March 18 al-Qaeda moved into the predominantly Assyrian Dora neighborhood in Baghdad and demanded payment of the jizya, the poll tax demanded by the Koran which all Christians and Jews must pay. Families that could not pay the jizya were instructed to give a daughter or sister in marriage to a Muslim.
Read the full Mahdi Army letter here.
For the Christian Assyrians (also known as Chaldeans and Syriacs) in Baghdad, the imposition of Shari'a (Islamic law) is coming from both Sunnis and Shiites. On March 18 al-Qaeda moved into the predominantly Assyrian Dora neighborhood in Baghdad and demanded payment of the jizya, the poll tax demanded by the Koran which all Christians and Jews must pay. Families that could not pay the jizya were instructed to give a daughter or sister in marriage to a Muslim.
Read the full Mahdi Army letter here.
Labels: Christians, Mahdi Army, veils
Turkish reinforcement soldiers and equipment sent to northern Iraq - Turkish border
Security, Region
(AP) - Turkey has sent large contingents of reinforcement soldiers, tanks and armored personnel carriers to its border with Iraq as debate heated up over whether to stage a cross-border offensive to hit Kurdish rebel bases. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday urged the United States and Iraq to destroy bases of the Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, in northern Iraq as Turkish military deployed more tanks and soldiers on the border.
The images of military trucks rumbling along the remote border with Iraq's Kurdish zone and tanks being transferred on trains and trucks to beef up an already formidable force there have occupied television screens and front pages of several newspapers in the last few weeks. The Turkish military has said it routinely reinforces the border with Iraq in the summer to prevent infiltrations by the guerrillas.
"The PKK must be eliminated as a problem between Iraq and Turkey," Turkey's special envoy to Iraq, Oguz Celikkol, told CNN-Turk television on Wednesday before a visit to Iraq to discuss Turkish demands that Iraq and U.S. forces crack down on the group. Asked whether Turkey could take unilateral action, Celikkol said: "Our expectation is that this issue is resolved before it comes to that point." Erdogan said a cross-border Turkish operation was not off the table. "The target is to achieve results. Our patience has run out. The necessary steps will be taken when needed," Erdogan said.
The Turkish military says up to 3,800 rebels are now based across the border in Iraq and that up to 2,300 operate inside Turkey. Iraqi Kurdish groups have threatened to resist a Turkish incursion. "All the explosives used by the PKK in Turkey are traced back to Iraq," Celikkol said. Turkish troops say they have killed 10 guerrillas in the country's southeast since Monday.
The images of military trucks rumbling along the remote border with Iraq's Kurdish zone and tanks being transferred on trains and trucks to beef up an already formidable force there have occupied television screens and front pages of several newspapers in the last few weeks. The Turkish military has said it routinely reinforces the border with Iraq in the summer to prevent infiltrations by the guerrillas.
"The PKK must be eliminated as a problem between Iraq and Turkey," Turkey's special envoy to Iraq, Oguz Celikkol, told CNN-Turk television on Wednesday before a visit to Iraq to discuss Turkish demands that Iraq and U.S. forces crack down on the group. Asked whether Turkey could take unilateral action, Celikkol said: "Our expectation is that this issue is resolved before it comes to that point." Erdogan said a cross-border Turkish operation was not off the table. "The target is to achieve results. Our patience has run out. The necessary steps will be taken when needed," Erdogan said.
The Turkish military says up to 3,800 rebels are now based across the border in Iraq and that up to 2,300 operate inside Turkey. Iraqi Kurdish groups have threatened to resist a Turkish incursion. "All the explosives used by the PKK in Turkey are traced back to Iraq," Celikkol said. Turkish troops say they have killed 10 guerrillas in the country's southeast since Monday.
Labels: Kurdistan, Oguz Celikkol, PKK, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
U.S. military looking for convoy escort security services
Contracts
(FedBizOpps) - Joint Contracting Command Iraq/Afghanistan Reconstruction Logistics will solicit convoy escort security services that will be integrated into the current Supply Chain Management System and provide continuous convoy escort team availability in accordance with mission requirements.
Labels: contracts, convoy escort, security
Round-up of violence across Iraq
Security
(McClatchy Newspapers) - The daily Iraq violence report is compiled by McClatchy Newspapers in Baghdad from police, military and medical reports. This is not a comprehensive list of all violence in Iraq, much of which goes unreported.
BAGHDAD
- Around mid-day on Monday, police were ambushed responding to a call telling them that two mini buses had been taken by gunmen from Bab Al-Muadham to Fadhil area( east Baghdad). In the ensuing clash three policemen were killed and seven injured.
- At 2pm, a car bomb exploded near the Ghailani mosque, one of the loliest shrines for Sunni in Baghdad. At least 22 people were killed and 30 injured.
- Around 3 pm, a roadside bomb exploded near the Adila Khatoon mosque killing two and injuring five.
DIYALA ( 66 km north of Baghdad)
- Early in the day, gunmen opened fire on a police patrol at Ameen neighborhood north of Baquba, killing a police officer.
- Before mid-day, a squad of the fifth division of the Iraqi army raided a site in Shaqraq village north of Muqdadiya ( 45 km north east of Baghdad) killing four terrorists. They seized a large cache of weapons and ammunition.
- After mid-day, police patrol found two dead bodies in Doura neighborhood north Baquba. The corpses had bullet wounds in their heads and chests and signs of torture.
- Around 1 pm, gunmen killed one civilian and injured three when they opened fire on them at Saisabana village on the Baquba-Balad Rouz highway east of Baghdad.
- Around mid-day, an armed group opened fire randomly at Barawana village in Muqdadiya ( 45 km north east Baghdad) killing one civilian and injuring three.
SALAHUDDIN (175 km north of Baghdad)
- Sunday night, gunmen kidnapped 40 people on the Baghdad-Tikrit highway south of Samara (110 km north of Baghdad). All were from the Jibour and Shimar tribes whose members have formed a council of tribes to drive out terrorists.
KIRKUK ( 255 km north of Baghdad)
- Around 9 pm Sunday, a roadside bomb exploded when a police patrol passed through Awashra village on the main road of Hawija –Fatha ( west of Kirkuk). Three policemen were injured.
- At 5 am Monday, joint forces raided Sufra village near Kirkuk–Biji route (west Kirkuk) and took four into custody.
BAGHDAD
- Around mid-day on Monday, police were ambushed responding to a call telling them that two mini buses had been taken by gunmen from Bab Al-Muadham to Fadhil area( east Baghdad). In the ensuing clash three policemen were killed and seven injured.
- At 2pm, a car bomb exploded near the Ghailani mosque, one of the loliest shrines for Sunni in Baghdad. At least 22 people were killed and 30 injured.
- Around 3 pm, a roadside bomb exploded near the Adila Khatoon mosque killing two and injuring five.
DIYALA ( 66 km north of Baghdad)
- Early in the day, gunmen opened fire on a police patrol at Ameen neighborhood north of Baquba, killing a police officer.
- Before mid-day, a squad of the fifth division of the Iraqi army raided a site in Shaqraq village north of Muqdadiya ( 45 km north east of Baghdad) killing four terrorists. They seized a large cache of weapons and ammunition.
- After mid-day, police patrol found two dead bodies in Doura neighborhood north Baquba. The corpses had bullet wounds in their heads and chests and signs of torture.
- Around 1 pm, gunmen killed one civilian and injured three when they opened fire on them at Saisabana village on the Baquba-Balad Rouz highway east of Baghdad.
- Around mid-day, an armed group opened fire randomly at Barawana village in Muqdadiya ( 45 km north east Baghdad) killing one civilian and injuring three.
SALAHUDDIN (175 km north of Baghdad)
- Sunday night, gunmen kidnapped 40 people on the Baghdad-Tikrit highway south of Samara (110 km north of Baghdad). All were from the Jibour and Shimar tribes whose members have formed a council of tribes to drive out terrorists.
KIRKUK ( 255 km north of Baghdad)
- Around 9 pm Sunday, a roadside bomb exploded when a police patrol passed through Awashra village on the main road of Hawija –Fatha ( west of Kirkuk). Three policemen were injured.
- At 5 am Monday, joint forces raided Sufra village near Kirkuk–Biji route (west Kirkuk) and took four into custody.
Labels: abduction, Adila Khatoon mosque, Baqouba, Diyala, Ghailani mosque, gunmen, Iraqi Army, Jibour tribe, Kirkuk, roadside bombs, Salahuddin, Shaqraq village, Shimar tribe, Sufra village
U.S. urges Iran to stop supporting militias in Iraq, Iran offers to train Iraqi military
Regional, Security, Politics
(Reuters) - The United States urged Iran yesterday to stop supporting militias in Iraq but described the two countries' most high-profile meeting in almost 30 years as positive. Washington accuses Iran of arming, funding and training Shiite militias who are fuelling Iraq's spiral into sectarian civil war, a charge Iran denies. The US military has also shown sophisticated bombs it says are killing US soldiers.
The meeting marked a shift in the US policy of shunning almost all contact with Iranian officials since Washington severed formal diplomatic ties with Tehran in 1980, 14 months after Iran's Islamic Revolution and five months after Americans were seized in a hostage crisis at the US embassy in Tehran. It did not touch on Iran's controversial nuclear programme, the most contentious issue in US-Iranian relations.
Crocker said the Iranians had proposed setting up a mechanism with Iranian, US and Iraqi participation to coordinate on Iraq's security. He said he would refer the proposal to Washington but that the US aim of the meeting had not been to organise further talks but to lay out its concerns. Kazemi-Qomi told reporters that Iran had offered to help train and arm Iraq's military.
Crocker said he had told the Iranians they must end their support for the militias, stop supplying them with explosives and ammunition and rein in the activities of Iran's Revolutionary Guards Qods Force in Iraq. "It is dangerous for Iraq ... and dangerous for the region because it can cause widespread instability," Crocker told a news briefing.
Crocker said the Iranians had rejected the allegations but did not respond in detail. In turn, they had criticised the "occupying" US military's training and equipping of the new Iraqi army, saying it was "inadequate to the challenges faced". "In terms of what happens next we are going to want to wait and see not what is said next but what happens on the ground, whether we start to see some indications of change of Iranian behaviour."
He said there was broad agreement between both sides in their policy on Iraq. Both countries supported Nouri Al Maliki's government and wanted to see a stable, federal Iraq that controlled its own security. In a brief address to the delegations before the start of the talks, Al Maliki said Iraq would not be a launchpad for any attacks on neighbouring states, an apparent reference to Iranian fears of a US attack. It would also not brook any regional interference in its affairs, he added.
The meeting marked a shift in the US policy of shunning almost all contact with Iranian officials since Washington severed formal diplomatic ties with Tehran in 1980, 14 months after Iran's Islamic Revolution and five months after Americans were seized in a hostage crisis at the US embassy in Tehran. It did not touch on Iran's controversial nuclear programme, the most contentious issue in US-Iranian relations.
Crocker said the Iranians had proposed setting up a mechanism with Iranian, US and Iraqi participation to coordinate on Iraq's security. He said he would refer the proposal to Washington but that the US aim of the meeting had not been to organise further talks but to lay out its concerns. Kazemi-Qomi told reporters that Iran had offered to help train and arm Iraq's military.
Crocker said he had told the Iranians they must end their support for the militias, stop supplying them with explosives and ammunition and rein in the activities of Iran's Revolutionary Guards Qods Force in Iraq. "It is dangerous for Iraq ... and dangerous for the region because it can cause widespread instability," Crocker told a news briefing.
Crocker said the Iranians had rejected the allegations but did not respond in detail. In turn, they had criticised the "occupying" US military's training and equipping of the new Iraqi army, saying it was "inadequate to the challenges faced". "In terms of what happens next we are going to want to wait and see not what is said next but what happens on the ground, whether we start to see some indications of change of Iranian behaviour."
He said there was broad agreement between both sides in their policy on Iraq. Both countries supported Nouri Al Maliki's government and wanted to see a stable, federal Iraq that controlled its own security. In a brief address to the delegations before the start of the talks, Al Maliki said Iraq would not be a launchpad for any attacks on neighbouring states, an apparent reference to Iranian fears of a US attack. It would also not brook any regional interference in its affairs, he added.
Labels: Iran, Kazemi-Qomi, militias, Ryan Crocker, U.S.
Defected health minister said to have passed information on Sadrists to U.S.
Politics
(Azzaman) - Shiite Cleric Moqtada al-Sadr is reported to be keen to put a new face to his movement already embroiled in sectarian revenge and death squads. Since his resurfacing following nearly four months of absence from Iraqi political scene, the young and charismatic Shiite leader has held several meetings with his aides to “restructure the movement whose ranks has been infiltrated by enemies,” officials close to the cleric said.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, they said Sadr’s sudden emergence and his meetings have been prompted by the defection of one of his most senior aides, former Health Minister Ali al-Shammari. Shammari, who had resigned his post on Sadr’s orders for his movement to leave the government, has sought asylum in the U.S. which Sadr sees as an enemy.
The sources said Shammari was close to Sadr and had insider information of the movement’s influence, spread and organization. The movement fears that Shammari might have passed to the U.S. confidential information on how the movement procures arms and training and the links it has with Iran.
Since Shammari’s defection, U.S. generals in Iraq have been producing what they described as ‘evidence’ of Iran’s involvement in arming Iraqi insurgent groups and militia factions. Shammari is also reported to have passed lists of the movement’s military leaders, their whereabouts and functions.
Shammari was moved to the U.S. from Baghdad by a special military plane. His defection is seen is a blow to Sadr. But one the movement says Shammari was not that senior and influential. According to Ali Sharifi, one of the movement’s most senior officials, Shammari was not part of the top leadership. “The information regarding the influence of Shammari is exaggerated,” Sharifi said.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, they said Sadr’s sudden emergence and his meetings have been prompted by the defection of one of his most senior aides, former Health Minister Ali al-Shammari. Shammari, who had resigned his post on Sadr’s orders for his movement to leave the government, has sought asylum in the U.S. which Sadr sees as an enemy.
The sources said Shammari was close to Sadr and had insider information of the movement’s influence, spread and organization. The movement fears that Shammari might have passed to the U.S. confidential information on how the movement procures arms and training and the links it has with Iran.
Since Shammari’s defection, U.S. generals in Iraq have been producing what they described as ‘evidence’ of Iran’s involvement in arming Iraqi insurgent groups and militia factions. Shammari is also reported to have passed lists of the movement’s military leaders, their whereabouts and functions.
Shammari was moved to the U.S. from Baghdad by a special military plane. His defection is seen is a blow to Sadr. But one the movement says Shammari was not that senior and influential. According to Ali Sharifi, one of the movement’s most senior officials, Shammari was not part of the top leadership. “The information regarding the influence of Shammari is exaggerated,” Sharifi said.
Labels: asylum, Health Minister Ali al-Shammari, Iran, Moqtada Al-Sadr, politics, U.S.
Security in Kurdistan handed over from MNFI to Peshmerga
Security, Kurdistan
(AFP) -- Iraqi Kurdistan's autonomous government will take charge of security in its mountainous northern region this week in a transfer of command from the US-led coalition, officials said. At a ceremony Wednesday in the regional capital Arbil the commanders of the peshmerga - former anti-Baghdad guerrillas and now staunch US allies - will be handed responsibility for three northern provinces.
"This week, the responsibility for security in the Kurdistan region will be officially transferred from multinational forces to the peshmerga affiliated with the regional government," said Jabar Yawar, a Kurdish military spokesman.
The peshmerga are former Kurdish rebels who have been incorporated into the Iraqi and Kurdish armed forces in the four years since a US-led invasion toppled Iraq's dictator Saddam Hussein. Yawar said the decision was made during a meeting held in Baghdad between Kurdish regional president Massud Barzani, Iraq's Prime Minister Nuri Al Maliki, and senior US military leaders.
The US military confirmed the handover in an invitation to the event sent out to local media. "The Kurdish Regional Government will hold a transfer of security ceremony, to highlight the return of the entire region from the coalition force to the government of Iraq," the invitation says.
While turning regional security responsibility over to mainly Kurdish forces, the agreement requires them to coordinate with Iraqi state and US-led forces, according to Kurdish officials. The US statement said "the Kurdistan Regional Government was deemed ready to assume security responsibility in the region."
"This week, the responsibility for security in the Kurdistan region will be officially transferred from multinational forces to the peshmerga affiliated with the regional government," said Jabar Yawar, a Kurdish military spokesman.
The peshmerga are former Kurdish rebels who have been incorporated into the Iraqi and Kurdish armed forces in the four years since a US-led invasion toppled Iraq's dictator Saddam Hussein. Yawar said the decision was made during a meeting held in Baghdad between Kurdish regional president Massud Barzani, Iraq's Prime Minister Nuri Al Maliki, and senior US military leaders.
The US military confirmed the handover in an invitation to the event sent out to local media. "The Kurdish Regional Government will hold a transfer of security ceremony, to highlight the return of the entire region from the coalition force to the government of Iraq," the invitation says.
While turning regional security responsibility over to mainly Kurdish forces, the agreement requires them to coordinate with Iraqi state and US-led forces, according to Kurdish officials. The US statement said "the Kurdistan Regional Government was deemed ready to assume security responsibility in the region."
Labels: Arbil, Kurdistan, security
Speak Freely; Official’s Son Kidnapped To Guarantee Secret Negotiations Between Government And Baathists
Security, Politics
(Al Bayyna Newspaper) - 28 MAY - As a former [Iraqi] Air Officer Legal Officer moved toward the Green Zone for discussions with high level officials from the Iraqi government, an MOI official’s son was kidnapped. The media has not focused on this kidnapping because the negotiations were extremely sensitive. Later, sources revealed that the former officer’s group kidnapped the MOI official’s son in order to guarantee that the former officer was not arrested or assassinated during the negotiations.
The former officer, Abd Al Falah Mohammed, represented one of the Baath Party’s sections. In this case, he represented the Al Douri section of the party. Mohammed is from Ramadi. After he completed his mission in the Green Zone, his group released the hostage. According to special sources, the main goal of these negotiations was related to AL Douri’s section or group wanting to control Anbar instead of the Anbar Salvation Council. This demand came because of recent conflicts between the Salvation Council and tribal leaders because several tribal leaders claimed they were the leaders of the Council.
Labels: Abd Al Falah Mohammed, Anbar Salvation Council, Baath Party, hostage, negotiations
British General Negotiated With Armed Iraqi Groups
(Azzaman Newspaper) - 28 MAY - Yesterday, the Sunday Telegraph Newspaper revealed that a British General is leading negotiations with armed groups in order to reach an agreement that the armed groups will put down their weapons in exchange for senior positions in the Iraqi security forces. The newspaper also said, “General “Graham Lamb” met with armed group leaders in the Green Zone in Baghdad to encourage these groups fight the extremist foreign fighters of Al Qaida, who use bloody tactics against Iraqis.
General Lamb is a former British Special Forces officer and represents the Iraqi government and MNF during these negotiations. He is also conducting negotiations with moderate militia which created death squads in response to the sectarian attacks of Al Qaida. A successful agreement will be very important in order for the US security plan to succeed in Baghdad. US General Davis Petraeus, the MNF Commander in Iraq, selected General Lamb himself to negotiate with the armed groups and moderate militia because General Lamb is more neutral than other US officers and also because the British forces do not have a large presence in Baghdad.”
An American forces senior advisor involved in the new security plan said, “These negotiations are unofficial and they are being held in the Green Zone in Baghdad. General Lamb, armed Sunni groups, and Iraqi tribal sheikhs who support the current resistance are attending these negotiations. The British General as a mediator between Iraqi officials and the leaders of Sunni armed groups, who are starting to believe in the reality of Shiites controlling the government.”
The newspaper added, “During the negotiations the armed groups, the armed groups have offered that in exchange for senior security forces positions they will declare a cease fire. They are also demanding amnesty for their members already in prison except for those involved in beheadings or killing large groups of civilians, canceling the DeBaathification Law, and pensions for those have been forced out of governmental, military, and security positions.”
An American forces senior advisor involved in the new security plan said, “These negotiations are unofficial and they are being held in the Green Zone in Baghdad. General Lamb, armed Sunni groups, and Iraqi tribal sheikhs who support the current resistance are attending these negotiations. The British General as a mediator between Iraqi officials and the leaders of Sunni armed groups, who are starting to believe in the reality of Shiites controlling the government.”
The newspaper added, “During the negotiations the armed groups, the armed groups have offered that in exchange for senior security forces positions they will declare a cease fire. They are also demanding amnesty for their members already in prison except for those involved in beheadings or killing large groups of civilians, canceling the DeBaathification Law, and pensions for those have been forced out of governmental, military, and security positions.”
Labels: amnesty, armed groups, cease-fire, debaathification, General Graham Lamb, militias, negotiations, tribal sheiks
Westerners 'abducted in Baghdad'
Security
(BBC) - A number of Westerners have reportedly been kidnapped from a finance ministry building in central Baghdad. There is confusion over the number and nationality of those involved. They are believed to include at least one finance expert, thought to be German, and at least four bodyguards, believed to be British.
"We are aware of reports that a group of westerners have been kidnapped. We are urgently looking into them," the UK foreign office said. Central Baghdad was also wracked by a bus explosion which killed at least 22 people and injured about 55. It is not clear if the parked minibus was carrying any passengers. The attack took place in Tayaran Square, where labourers wait for daily construction work. The blast comes a day after a car bomb killed at least 20 people in the Sinak commercial district in Iraq.
"We are aware of reports that a group of westerners have been kidnapped. We are urgently looking into them," the UK foreign office said. Central Baghdad was also wracked by a bus explosion which killed at least 22 people and injured about 55. It is not clear if the parked minibus was carrying any passengers. The attack took place in Tayaran Square, where labourers wait for daily construction work. The blast comes a day after a car bomb killed at least 20 people in the Sinak commercial district in Iraq.
COMMENT: There are currently conflicting versions of this story. Below is teh report from Reuters. COMMENT ENDS.
(Reuters) - Gunmen wearing police uniforms kidnapped at least three Western lecturers and several of their bodyguards from a Finance Ministry building in central Baghdad on Tuesday, a witness told Reuters. Police said the lecturers were German and they were seized from their cars outside the ministry building. The lecturers had been advising ministry personnel on organizing electronic contracts, said the witness, who did not want to be identified.
The gunmen entered the lecture room led by a man wearing a police major's uniform. "Where are the foreigners, where are the foreigners?," the gunmen shouted, according to the witness who was in the conference room.
At least 22 people were killed and 55 were wounded when a bomb planted in a parked minibus exploded in a busy commercial area in central Baghdad, police said. The blast was near a major intersection in Tayaran Square, an area filled with markets where day laborers, usually poor Shi'ites, queue for work.
No other details were immediately available.
More than 200 foreigners and thousands of Iraqis have been kidnapped since the U.S.-led invasion to topple
Saddam Hussein in 2003, although there had been a relative lull in the taking of foreigners in recent months.
Most of the foreign hostages who have been taken in Iraq have been released but at least 60 have been reported killed by their captors.
The witness in the Finance Ministry said another lecturer escaped being abducted because he was sitting apart from his colleagues. The lecturers, all men and employed by a U.S. organization, had given at least 12 lectures at the ministry over the past year, she said. There was no immediate comment from the U.S. Embassy. A source at the Finance Ministry confirmed the lecturers had been kidnapped but said he had no further information.
Tuesday's assault appeared to be the first time Westerners have been kidnapped from inside an Iraqi government building where many foreigners work assisting the government, and as contractors. A German woman, married to an Iraqi doctor, and her son were kidnapped on February 6. Last year two German engineers were captured in Iraq and held for 99 days before they were freed, although it was not clear if a ransom was paid. German archaeologist Susanne Osthoff was also held by an Islamist group.
The gunmen entered the lecture room led by a man wearing a police major's uniform. "Where are the foreigners, where are the foreigners?," the gunmen shouted, according to the witness who was in the conference room.
At least 22 people were killed and 55 were wounded when a bomb planted in a parked minibus exploded in a busy commercial area in central Baghdad, police said. The blast was near a major intersection in Tayaran Square, an area filled with markets where day laborers, usually poor Shi'ites, queue for work.
No other details were immediately available.
More than 200 foreigners and thousands of Iraqis have been kidnapped since the U.S.-led invasion to topple
Saddam Hussein in 2003, although there had been a relative lull in the taking of foreigners in recent months.
Most of the foreign hostages who have been taken in Iraq have been released but at least 60 have been reported killed by their captors.
The witness in the Finance Ministry said another lecturer escaped being abducted because he was sitting apart from his colleagues. The lecturers, all men and employed by a U.S. organization, had given at least 12 lectures at the ministry over the past year, she said. There was no immediate comment from the U.S. Embassy. A source at the Finance Ministry confirmed the lecturers had been kidnapped but said he had no further information.
Tuesday's assault appeared to be the first time Westerners have been kidnapped from inside an Iraqi government building where many foreigners work assisting the government, and as contractors. A German woman, married to an Iraqi doctor, and her son were kidnapped on February 6. Last year two German engineers were captured in Iraq and held for 99 days before they were freed, although it was not clear if a ransom was paid. German archaeologist Susanne Osthoff was also held by an Islamist group.
Labels: abduction, bodyguards, British, Germans, lecturers, Ministry of Finance, Westerners
Monday, May 28, 2007
Round-up of violence across Iraq
Security
Roundup of violence in Iraq - 5/27/2007 05:33 PM EDT
By Jenan Hussein, McClatchy Newspapers
The daily Iraq violence report is compiled by McClatchy Newspapers in Baghdad from police, military and medical reports. This is not a comprehensive list of all violence in Iraq, much of which goes unreported. All times are Iraq local times.
(Reuters) - Following are security developments in Iraq at 1030 GMT on Monday:
* denotes new or updated item.
* BAGHDAD - A car bomb killed two people and wounded five others near al-Khilani square in central Baghdad, police said.
* BAGHDAD - Gunmen ambushed a police patrol and killed three policemen and wounded seven in the Fadhil district of central Baghdad, police said.
BAQUBA - The U.S. military said U.S. and Iraqi troops had raided a suspected al Qaeda prison camp near Baquba, 65 km (40 miles) north of Baghdad, on Sunday and freed 41 men, some of whom had been held for four months.
* NEAR BAIJI - Hamad al-Jouburi, the head of a regional "salvation council" set up to fight al-Qaeda, said that gunmen attacked his brother's two houses and abducted four of his sons and set the houses on fire in a village near Baiji, 180 km (110 miles) north of Baghdad. Earlier, local officials said gunmen killed the four sons of Jouburi's sister.
BAGHDAD - A security detainee died on Saturday in Camp Cropper, a U.S. detention facility in southern Baghdad, the U.S. military said. It said the likely cause of death was complications from diabetes.
ANBAR - U.S. forces detained nine suspected insurgents in raids against suspected al Qaeda insurgents in northern Mosul and western Anbar province, the U.S. military said.
RAMADI - A car bomb in a busy market killed seven people and wounded 12 on Sunday in the western outskirts of Ramadi, 110 km (70 miles) west of Baghdad, a hospital source said. Police said a suicide car bomber rammed his car into their checkpoint, wounding three policemen and a child.
BAGHDAD - A roadside bomb killed one person and wounded nine others in eastern Baghdad on Sunday, police said.
NAHRAWAN - Two people were killed and one other was wounded in a mortar attack on Sunday in Nahrawan, 30 km (20 miles) south of Baghdad, police said.
Labels: Al Anbar, al-Khilani square, Anbar Salvation Council, Baiji, Baquba, car bomb, Fadhil, Hamad al-Jouburi, mortar attacks, Nahrawan, Ramadi, roadside bombs
Terrorist Militias Attack Three Mosques In Baghdad
Security
(Dar Al Salam Newspaper) - 27 MAY - On Friday, many innocent people were killed and wounded, most women and children, when ten mortars were launched by terrorist militias on Al Medina Al Munawrana Mosque in the Milhaniya area in west Baghdad. The mosque and the neighboring houses were damaged. As a matter of fact, this area has been witnessing a strong presence of US occupation and Iraqi forces. This area has also been attacked many times by militias in order to displace the [Sunni] residents like has happened in Hay Al Amil and other Baghdad areas.
On the other side, militias have attacked Al Hanan Mosque in the Waqif area in Raashdiya, [30 km north of Baghdad]. Many people were wounded. The criminal militia also attacked Othman Bin Afan Mosque in the Rasala with no other information being currently available about this attack.
On the other side, militias have attacked Al Hanan Mosque in the Waqif area in Raashdiya, [30 km north of Baghdad]. Many people were wounded. The criminal militia also attacked Othman Bin Afan Mosque in the Rasala with no other information being currently available about this attack.
Labels: Al Hanan Mosque, Al Medina Al Munawrana Mosque, Othman Bin Afan Mosque, violence
Camp for displaced people to be set up in Arbil
Humanitarian
(Voices of Iraq) - A camp for displaced persons coming from Mosul will be set up in Arbil soon, mayor of Arbil's city of Khabat, Rizkar Mustafa, said on Sunday. "It will be an emergency camp where the displaced from Mosul can settle until we know their exact numbers and the security reasons related to their exodus," Mustafa told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI).
"The camp will be open to all displaced," Mustafa added, explaining that they included Iraqis from all communities and religious and ethnic groups. According to Mustafa, nearly 500 families, mostly from Baghdad and Diala, 60 km northeast of it, have fled to Arbil. Ninety percent of those from Mosul were Kurds, along with 25 Christian families and 20 Turkmen families.
"The province and the Kurdistan Regional Government's (KRG) institutions have all made preparations for receiving the displaced. Around 2,000 tents will be set up," Mustafa indicated. "In cooperation with the regional government's institutions in Arbil, we have managed to provide the camp with water and electricity. Moreover, in coordination with the province, the Iraqi Red Crescent will supervise the camp," Mustafa said, explaining that the UN High Commissioner for Refugees will provide assistance to the displaced.
When asked about the number of displaced arriving in the province, Mustafa said that from two to five families arrive in Arbil everyday. "We sometimes receive 25 families a day," he added. Around 1,700 families have moved to Arbil, 700 of which are being housed in downtown Arbil, a relatively large number given the city's total population of 25,000.
"The camp will be open to all displaced," Mustafa added, explaining that they included Iraqis from all communities and religious and ethnic groups. According to Mustafa, nearly 500 families, mostly from Baghdad and Diala, 60 km northeast of it, have fled to Arbil. Ninety percent of those from Mosul were Kurds, along with 25 Christian families and 20 Turkmen families.
"The province and the Kurdistan Regional Government's (KRG) institutions have all made preparations for receiving the displaced. Around 2,000 tents will be set up," Mustafa indicated. "In cooperation with the regional government's institutions in Arbil, we have managed to provide the camp with water and electricity. Moreover, in coordination with the province, the Iraqi Red Crescent will supervise the camp," Mustafa said, explaining that the UN High Commissioner for Refugees will provide assistance to the displaced.
When asked about the number of displaced arriving in the province, Mustafa said that from two to five families arrive in Arbil everyday. "We sometimes receive 25 families a day," he added. Around 1,700 families have moved to Arbil, 700 of which are being housed in downtown Arbil, a relatively large number given the city's total population of 25,000.
Labels: Arbil, displaced people, KRG, Mosul, Rizkar Mustafa, UNHCR
Sadrists won't vote on six new candidates for ministerial positions
Politics
(Voices of Iraq) - The Sadrist bloc, or members of parliament loyal to Shiite leader Muqtada al-Sadr, will not vote on the six candidates proposed to occupy their former ministerial portfolios on the grounds that they are not "technocratic enough," a spokesman for the Sadrists said on Saturday.
The six ministerial positions became vacant after Sadr withdrew his six ministers from the government of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki in April 2007 in protest against its failure to come up with a timetable for the withdrawal of foreign troops and to provide necessary services for Iraqis.
"Our objection did not rest on the fact that we are members of the Sadrist bloc but rather as members of the Iraqi parliament. The ministers of the Sadrist bloc were better than the new candidates from both practical and independence perspectives," spokesman Nassar al-Rubaie told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI) during a parliamentary session on Sunday.
He said some of the new candidates have been outside Iraq for more than 25 years. Maliki, during a session of the Iraqi parliament on Thursday, proposed the names of the candidates to fill the ministerial vacancies left by the six ministers loyal to leader Sadr last month. The Sadrist members of parliament are part of the Shiite Unified Iraqi Coalition (UIC), the largest bloc with 30 seats out of the total 275.
The six ministerial positions became vacant after Sadr withdrew his six ministers from the government of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki in April 2007 in protest against its failure to come up with a timetable for the withdrawal of foreign troops and to provide necessary services for Iraqis.
"Our objection did not rest on the fact that we are members of the Sadrist bloc but rather as members of the Iraqi parliament. The ministers of the Sadrist bloc were better than the new candidates from both practical and independence perspectives," spokesman Nassar al-Rubaie told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI) during a parliamentary session on Sunday.
He said some of the new candidates have been outside Iraq for more than 25 years. Maliki, during a session of the Iraqi parliament on Thursday, proposed the names of the candidates to fill the ministerial vacancies left by the six ministers loyal to leader Sadr last month. The Sadrist members of parliament are part of the Shiite Unified Iraqi Coalition (UIC), the largest bloc with 30 seats out of the total 275.
Labels: ministerial candidates, Sadrist bloc
